His Majesty Prefers Blue
by ShamelessLiar
Summary: A year after the war's end, the gaang returns to the Fire Nation for a week of diplomatic meetings. There, they hear rumors about a vigilante who wears a blue mask and Katara finds herself digging deeper into his identity and motives. Blue/Zutara Lemons
1. Chapter 1

Aang hopped down from Appa's head and took in a deep breath, a grin plastered across his face. "Ah! Fresh Fire Nation air, just like I remember it!"

"You know…" Sokka spoke as he climbed down the bison's side. "It's really ironic that the Air Nomad thinks air that smells like smoke and sulfur is 'fresh.'" On the ground, he pinched his nose and pulled a face.

"Sokka! We're guests here, remember? Try to be polite." As Katara reached the ground and took a good look at her brother, her frown deepened. "…to the best of your abilities."

"Hey, I'm perfectly capable of being polite if I have to. Check this out!" He reached up towards the saddle, where Suki was leaning with her back against the edge. "Suki, my love! Might I assist you in your angelic descent to Earth?"

Suki, however, was distractedly talking with Toph about the latest Earth Rumble Tournament. She peered down at him briefly and smiled. "Sure, Sokka. Here, help me with the luggage."

With that, she began tossing cases of clothing down to him. Sokka began grumbling, but, with a surreptitious glance at his smirking sister, he forced a large grin and began energetically stacking things off to one side. "Anything for you, sweetest blossom!"

Katara and Aang shared a quiet chuckle at Sokka's expense, but the laughter died as their eyes met. Their journey together had been brief, this time, but it had not been without tension. It had only been a few days since Aang flew Appa to the South Pole to collect the siblings and the stops at Kyoshi Island and Gaoling had been brief, just long enough to collect everyone.

There had not been time to talk.

Katara looked away first and scanned the courtyard in which they had landed. It was a lovely space, with manicured flower beds and a few elegantly twisting cherry-willows that draped bright red fronds into a natural rock fountain. An emissary was approaching from the closest building, his dark red robes oddly out of place in the bright colors of the garden. He was a thin, dry-looking man, around her father's age, with a look of constant worry written in the lines of his face.

"Avatar – and companions – the Fire Nation is honored to receive you!" He bowed as soon as he was close enough and spoke quickly, as if he had practiced these words. "I am Hau, your guide. I would have been here to greet you sooner, but we did not expect you until later in the week."

Aang, grinning once more, returned the bow. "Don't worry about it. We're kind of surprised to be here so early, too. Favorable winds, I guess." He shrugged, still looking wide-eyed and innocent, and Katara was struck by how easy it had become for Aang to lie. After all, he had rushed each departure and had summoned that 'favorable wind' to speed their progress. She had watched him do it and, because he was her friend, she had not asked why.

Now, though, she began to wonder.

Not that she let it show. "We are honored to be received."

Hau turned his bow to her and his thin lips cracked into a smile. "Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe. The importance of your return does not go unnoticed. It is my responsibility to ensure that the trust you have shown for the Fire Nation is merited. If you have any need at all, you have but to ask."

Her brow furrowed slightly at this special attention, but she went on smiling. A glance at Aang revealed nothing; he watched, his expression cheerful. "I'm not sure I understand…"

"You were the only one of your companions to do battle on Fire Nation soil, Master Katara. Not only that, but you defeated the Fire Lord's sister and defended the then-future Fire Lord. Most of my people consider you a champion of our country."

"Wow… that's news to me…" Katara leaned back and crossed her arms, trying to absorb that technicality. Distracted as she was, Hau's use of the word 'most' almost slipped her attention.

"Speaking of the Fire Lord," Aang shouldered in, "Where is he? Not that I don't like you, Hau, but I kind of expected to see him."

"I am afraid the Fire Lord is busy today with preparations for the diplomatic meetings and celebrations as well as his usual duties. He has scheduled a meeting with you tomorrow afternoon, at three hours past noon."

"Alright!" Sokka punched an arm up in the air. "Night on the town in the Fire Nation Capitol!" There was a moment of silence, in which he realized he was being stared at by everyone.

Except Toph, of course, who snickered and said, "Boy, I bet you look stupid right now…"

Sokka let his arm drop. "What? Don't they have fun in this town?"

Katara sighed. "Sokka, it's the _capitol_. This is where all the nobles and government officials live and work. I really doubt they have the kind of entertainment you'd enjoy… right?" She turned a raised eyebrow to Hau.

The emissary cleared his throat. "It is true that most of our theatres show works of high drama…" Katara nodded at Sokka as if to say _so there_. "But… there is a traveling carnival outside of the city this week…"

Sokka pointed at his sister, victorious. "Ha! How does it taste, Katara?"

She rolled her eyes. "How does what taste?"

"Your foot! You know… since you kind of just put your foot in your mouth?"

Katara heaved a sigh and rubbed her eyes with one hand.

"Actually…" Hau spoke up, his voice polite but also insistent. "I would recommend that you not leave the area of the city regularly patrolled by the Fire Lord's guards."

"Why's that?" Aang chirped.

"There have been… some attacks in the poorer districts. Some of the guards have suggested it is rebel sentiment – a supporter of the Fire Lord's sister. It would be most unfortunate if-"

"_A_ supporter? As in _one_?" Suki dropped down from Appa and crossed her arms.

"He wears a mask, so it is possible that there are multiple brigands behind the attacks, but only one appears at any time."

Toph, who had begun climbing down after Suki with slow deliberation, laughed. "Then what's the problem? One guy in a mask, one pounding – the math is sound." She reached the ground and wiggled her toes in the grass with a sigh.

"Yes, well, until he is captured, it would put the Fire Lord at ease to know that his guests are safe. Now, if you do not mind, I will show you to your rooms. I am very sorry for the lack of servants to carry your bags, but, between preparations for the imminent festivities and the Fire Lord's wise decision to reduce the household staff, no pair of hands can be spared at present." Hau cut off the conversation and stood waiting while Sokka, Suki, and Toph began reaching for luggage.

Katara took a step in their direction, but paused long enough to ask a question. "Hau, what makes the guards so sure that the masked man is a supporter of Azula?"

Hau frowned. "His mask is blue, like her fire."

A few steps away, Aang paused, but then went on to help with the bags. Katara's eyes followed the stiffness of his narrow shoulders. "That seems like some pretty thin logic to me."

"They are afraid of him. Fear and logic do not combine beneficially." Hau carefully laced his fingers before him and went on in a low voice. "Master Katara, I would urge you, even more than your friends, to remain on the palace grounds."

Katara frowned. "Why?"

"While it is true that we do not know the political motivations of the masked man, we do know that there are those in the city who do not think of you as a hero. There has been much turmoil here, since the war's end and some – not many! – still believe that Azula should sit on the throne. If the vigilante is one of them…" Hau paused and gave her a penetrating look, his yellow eyes concerned. "The guards are wise to fear him – and you would be, too."


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thanks for reviewing, single reviewer! You know who you are, being as there is just the one of you... You rock my socks! Yes, YOU! This chapter is most especially for YOU!

* * *

Their rooms turned out to be a suite of what had probably once belonged to royal children. There were two bedrooms, one for the girls and one for the boys, each with three beds lined up along one wall and three tall windows on the other side.

After stuffing her clothes into the wardrobe provided for her, Katara sat on her bed and gazed around the room. She felt sure that, under the tasteful peach paint, there was wallpaper featuring a print of typical Fire Nation little girl fare – charred flowers, she supposed.

With a disgusted sigh, she made her way out to the shared lounge – which had probably once been a playroom. Now, it was pleasantly filled with soft armchairs and sofas and even a bookshelf. Katara, being the only girl present who had packed more than two changes of clothes, was the last to emerge from the bedroom and came upon her friends mid-conversation.

"So we've all decided, then?" Aang stood before two armchairs, holding out his arms as if to a triumphant chorus.

"I'm definitely up for a little fun after that long bison ride," Suki said.

"And you know I wouldn't miss the chance to see a Fire Nation carnival… imagine the delicious deep-fried opportunities…"

In one chair, Suki sat on Sokka's lap, her muscular legs hooked over the upholstered arm of the chair and her hands innocently intertwined with his on her lap. Suki lifted one hand to stroke his chin, making his unfocused eyes shift from greasy fantasy to her. This sort of shameless display of intimacy was standard for them by now. While it still made Katara a bit uncomfortable and self-conscious, she could understand their desire to make up for lost time.

They'd hit it off so well when they faced each other again after the year of separation… Katara had been aware of the little flair of jealousy she felt, that little gnaw of disappointment that it hadn't been that easy for her and Aang…

Her thoughts were cut short by the sound of Toph cracking her knuckles. "At worst, we'll finally get some exercise."

Katara took this opportunity to clear her throat. Three sets of eyes turned to her and Toph grinned.

"Are you coming, too, Sweetness, or did your new boyfriend scare you too bad?"

"What-?" Katara squinted and then scoffed, crossing her arms. "First off, I'm not afraid of anything. So yes, I think I will go. And secondly," she could feel herself puffing up in indignation, "Hau is old enough to be my father. What you're suggesting is totally offensive. I-"

"Geeze! Calm down or I'll start to think I hit a nerve…"

Aang masterfully swallowed what might have quickly developed into an epic squabble by grinning hopefully at Katara. "You'll really come?"

It had always been hard for Katara to stay angry when she looked at that puppyish face, but she found it had lost much of its appeal; Aang was still large-eyed and sweet-looking, but he had gained enough height in the past year that he no longer gazed up at her… and that changed things more than it should have.

With a large sigh, Katara pressed her features into an answering smile. "Of course I will. If I didn't, who would keep Toph from swindling innocent swindlers or Sokka from busting his waistband?"

"That was _one time_ and I learned my lesson!"

"Only because I made you stitch it back together yourself."

Suki laughed and patted Sokka on the head. "Don't worry." He smiled at her, raising an eyebrow. "I think a man who does his own sewing is very attractive."

* * *

Getting out of the palace was much harder than they had expected and Katara blamed that mostly on Aang's unwillingness to ride in a palanquin.

"I'm the Avatar. I walk among the people – that's what I do!"

Of course, Hau, backed up by all eight of the palanquin bearers and the four guards that were to be assigned to them, had been almost as stubborn. Aang finally compromised; guards – yes, but palanquins – no.

Presently, the group was marching down a wide avenue, headed for the Southwest Gate. The sun was not yet setting, but Katara estimated it would be dark shortly after they reached the carnival. Though she was not proud of it, she was beginning to be glad of the guards.

The buildings lining the street in this part of the city were ill-kept. Some had stains running down their walls or broken slats in the shutters and there was garbage heaped in some of the alleys. They passed an old woman shelling beans on her front step and a group of what may have been war veterans, each missing a different body part and all equally scruffy-looking. People had a habit of cutting off their conversations when they saw the group coming and shooting them looks of suspicion as they passed.

Aang, of course, was trying to be friendly with everyone. He said 'hello' so many times that Katara was getting sick of the cadence with which he said it. Admittedly, though, he got results. Old men grunted at him and nodded. Children waved before scurrying inside their houses.

Finally, Toph said what had been on Katara's mind for the past quarter mile. "Is it just my feet or is everyone around here acting really weird?"

Sokka jumped on the chance to talk, but prudently kept his voice down. "Yeah, I feel like a seal-turtle walking through a penguin colony. What do you think is up?"

"Maybe they just don't like strangers, here. I mean, we are pretty obviously not Fire Nation…" Katara spoke quietly as well. She could see the gate up ahead, but by no means wanted to offend anyone. She glanced at Aang and noted the grim, thoughtful expression that took over his face as they passed the last group of people milling around a melon cart.

It struck Katara that this serious look was far more befitting to Aang, now, than his large-eyed pleading. After all, he was clearly leaving childhood behind, in bits and pieces. Where he had been well-proportioned the previous year, he now had a slightly gangly look to him, as if his bones were outpacing his muscles by a long shot.

Instead of being appealing to Katara, these changes made Aang seem like a completely different person from the boy she had known… and that distance between then and now had been enough to let her doubts creep in, to make her wonder whether what had seemed at the end of the war to be so right actually had been.

She locked her eyes on the gate, watching a guard stroll along the parapet atop the wall.

Aang wasn't the only one changing. Sokka's shoulders had broadened under a year of heavy work with the men of the village. Suki had been training harder with the Kyoshi Warriors as they learned some of Ty Lee's tricks and her muscles, especially in her legs, had thickened in what, to Katara's eye, was a very enticing way. Toph had probably grown six inches since the previous year, but her clothes were still utilitarian, giving little hint as to her other transformations…

Not that Katara had been looking! It was just… difficult not to notice the ways in which the people she had known so well last year had shifted towards something new.

At last, they reached the gate and the guards stopped, exchanging news with their fellows. The gates stood open, allowing people to wander in and out from the carnival. The group passed through without pausing, leaving their guards to follow at a distance.

As Katara had suspected, they reached the carnival just as the red light of the sun began to fade. Then, the place lit itself up. Every tent had lanterns burning outside and in, brightly colored glass that shimmered in squares of hot pink, lime green, and gold across canvas and the wooden booths that had been set up in a make-shift alleyway of amusements.

There was a scent of fried meat that intensified if a breeze picked up and Sokka quickly broke away (with Suki gripping his hand and following) to find the source of 'that glorious aroma.' One of the guards jogged after them, and the racket of his armor was swiftly swallowed by the din of children laughing, animals lowing, musicians playing for supper, and the steady background noise of people having a good time.

For a while, Katara followed Toph and Aang as they played the games set up in the booths. They must have tossed a dozen rings onto bottles and thrown half as many balls through hoops before Katara realized that Aang was airbending so that Toph would win.

It occurred to her to tell him off for cheating, but the desire to do it just wasn't there. Maybe she was changing, too.

"I think I'll go see the tumblers perform." She took a few steps toward the largest tent, which was apparently striped in red and white, but glowed from within by the light of gold-glass lanterns that turned the white to the pale yellow of a rising moon and the red to the near-black of clotted blood.

"Do you want us to come with you?" Aang looked somewhat concerned about letting her wander off alone, but Toph punched his shoulder. (She had to reach up slightly to do it.)

"Leave her alone, Twinkle Toes. If she needed us to nanny-goat her, she'd already be dragging us along – right, Sugar Queen?"

Katara chuckled, rather liking the indomitable picture Toph painted. "Right. Don't worry, Aang – it's not like I'll really be alone." She cast her eyes over her shoulder to where the three remaining guards stood in the center of the walkway. The people who passed seemed to be giving them a wide berth. Katara grinned at her younger friends. "You guys have fun. Don't win too much or someone might get suspicious."

She didn't wait to hear Aang's nervous laughter, but strode on to the tent. After paying her entry fee, Katara took a seat on the near end of the mostly-empty tiered benches to watch the tumblers limber up. They hopped from leg to leg and did sudden back-flips, as if the ground was too hot for them to stand still for any length of time.

Three were men, with broad, bare shoulders, defined abdominals, and narrow hips over thickly-muscled thighs. They wore loose-fitting pants bound in place with a sash at the waist and fitted cuffs below the knee, which flattered their bulging calves. The two women wore much the same, along with a wrapped top that was much like Katara's own bindings. They flipped and cartwheeled with ease, every muscle so finely in tune with the others that motion was like a perfect chord.

They were a pleasure to watch, even before the show started, but Katara could not ignore the alarms going off in the back of her head. Instinctively, she glanced off to her left, where the shadows between the edge of the tent and the seating structure were darkest. She was fairly sure that she could see something in the dark, there – something that might be a face.

"Master Katara, do the tumblers not please you?"

She jumped at the unfamiliar voice, coming from just behind her. Craning her neck to get a look at the speaker, she recognized her guards… because there were two of them. It was somewhat jarring, being so close to these large men who wore the uniform of the enemy. In fact, the alarm sounding in her head jangled just a little louder.

Katara shook her head, trying to rattle that lingering prejudice loose, but found it was too tightly in place. Instead, she smiled. "No, no… They're wonderful… I just thought I saw something." She squinted up at their blank expressions for a moment. "Hey, why are there two of you guarding just the one of me?"

The guard who had spoken to her before replied, the sharp edges of his facial hair shifting under the shadows of his helmet. "You are in more danger than any of the others, Master Katara. Thus, you are doubly guarded."

"More danger? Are you talking about the man in the blue mask?"

He hesitated for just an instant. "Yes. The Blue Spirit."

Across the tent, musicians began to play a lively tune. Katara turned back to watch as the tumblers began their spectacular flips and rolls. They were quite talented… but Katara's mind was elsewhere.

She was fairly sure she remembered a Blue Spirit from somewhere, but the exact memory eluded her. One of the male acrobats rolled up from the ground and stood on his hands, the muscles throughout his torso bunching and rippling. The light from torches sparkled through the sweat dotting his pale flesh.

Katara shifted and, for the moment, forgot all about the Blue Spirit.

* * *

The show lasted for almost two hours and, when Katara shuffled out of the tent with the rest of the crowd (her two tag-alongs clanking conspicuously behind her) she found night deeply set-in. Most of the booths had closed up and only a few lonely lanterns cast their light on the near-empty alley, where a lone man with a broom was gathering crushed fire flake boxes and sticky paper cups into a dustpan.

The crowd thinned as people made their way back through the gates or off to whatever other places they had come from, and shortly Katara stood alone (mostly.)

She peered at her guards, offered a shrug, and said, "Guess they left without us."

Neither man responded. Katara might have mistaken them for statues if she couldn't see the glitter of their eyes as they blinked at her. With a sigh, she set off towards the gate.

It seemed odd that the others would leave her behind, but they obviously weren't here. When she got back to the palace, she would have to give them a stern talking-to about taking their hosts' warnings seriously. Not that she was scared, but it was simply foolish to pretend that everything was safe when it obviously wasn't.

And it obviously wasn't.

Katara was passing again through the poor neighborhood and it was twice as spooky with no one else around. The rest of the crowd had either dispersed or walked ahead of her and now, with only her own footsteps to compete with it, her guards' footsteps were heavy, jarring, and uncomfortably close behind her. The alarm in her head was ringing again.

Nerves shot, the waterbender spun around and faced the two armored men.

"Would you mind not following so closely? I'm sure the Blue Spirit would be just as intimidated by you if you were two yards behind me instead of two feet."

They only stared at her for a long moment. The silence made Katara even more uneasy.

Finally, one guard spoke. "You need not be afraid of the Blue Spirit, Master Katara."

Her fists were on her hips before she knew it. "I am _not_ afraid of the Blue Spirit." Then, she whirled on her heel and marched on.

There was something about his wording, though… She began to turn around again. "And just what-"

But the words were gone from her mind when she heard the ring of steel and the metallic impact of an armored body hitting the cobblestones. In a split second, she had her water flask open and a rope of liquid emerged like a serpent, ready to strike. One guard lay on the ground, very still, and the other was frantically blocking and dodging the attacks of a lithe, incredibly quick shadow.

A shadow with a vaguely familiar blue and white mask.

* * *

Author can has moar reviews now?


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Yay for people who review! You are all wonderful! Knowing that people enjoy this story makes it so much easier to continue working on it.

* * *

His twin swords hissed in the quiet, striking sparks whenever the guard managed to block their sweeping attacks with the small dagger he held in one hand. The guard kept trying to firebend, but the Blue Spirit kept backing him up, breaking his footing so that he could not accomplish it.

Katara hurled her element at the attacker, whipping him in the side of the head. He reeled back and, for an instant, the fierce face looked at her. An instant was all it took to assure Katara that she had never seen this mask before – she would remember that shade of blue, the way darkness filled the eyeholes.

Yet, the design was familiar. As was the way the man moved.

The guard managed to complete a form, punching flame through the dark at the masked man, who easily dodged the attack and placed himself on the far side of the firebender. Katara stepped to one side to get a clear shot at him, but he ducked the other way. He was using the other man's body as a shield from her water.

Growing frustrated, Katara stepped to the side again, only to feel her foot slide across the cobblestones. Peering down, she found she had stepped in the blood of the fallen guard. In the heat of the fight, she had forgotten him and now, guilt-ridden, she knelt at his side. It was almost too late; the man had been stabbed through one side of the throat and was dangerously close to bleeding out but, miraculously, he was still alive.

Katara immediately set about healing the puncture, but as she guided the tissues to knit, she noticed that the blade had not poked through the other side of his neck. It was a curious wound to have come from a Dao sword.

The fight went on without her. The guard shot more fire at the Blue Spirit, who time after time blocked it with the broad flats of his blades until, at last, he leapt in the air, slashing sideways at the firebender. His blades flawlessly found the chinks in the other man's armor; one drove deep into the side of his neck while the other bit through the elbow joint, severing the limb.

The guard hit the ground with a gurgle and did not move. Katara could tell from the angle of his neck that it was broken; she could not save him.

More immediate was the fact that the Blue Spirit again turned his face towards her. He took two slow steps in her direction.

Katara rose and, gathering the moisture she sensed on the cobblestones below her, bent a ring of tentacles up at her feet. They waved threateningly as she worked her body through the smooth, aggressive forms.

The Blue Spirit stopped in his tracks. Then, as suddenly as he had come, he darted off down an alley.

"…Hey!" For an instant, the waterbender debated on whether she should follow him. It would be dangerous to chase someone so quick into unknown territory, where he could easily hide in some shadow and attack her from up close, which would be much harder for Katara to defend against. Before, she had had no warning that he was coming; he was simply there. Truly, the man was as dangerous as rumor suggested.

Still, the just and slightly vengeful part of her wanted to hunt down this man who had attacked her, this Blue Spirit.

However, the man at her feet groaned slightly, breaking Katara's stare at the dark place where the vigilante had vanished. She knelt again and found the guard's wounds holding. He would survive, but she needed to get him to a safe place. There was no time to hunt.

Not now.

Katara let her tentacles relax and only then noticed that the liquid she had collected from the ground was actually the blood of the man she had just healed. It glittered, appearing black in the dim light. With a grimace, she guided it to a gutter, where it would drain into the sewer beneath the street.

* * *

Hours later, after she had seen the surviving guard to the palace healer, Katara allowed herself to be escorted to the suite she shared with her friends. When she came through the door, three of them leapt to their feet. Toph remained sitting on the floor, her back up against a sofa. Hers was the first voice, and therefore was the only one whose words Katara could actually make out.

"It's about time…"

Then, everyone was talking at once. Sokka seemed to be admonishing her while Suki was patting him on the shoulder and Aang had a look on his face that was somewhere between confusion and anxiety.

"Katara, where did you-?"

"-if _Dad_ was here-!"

"She's okay, Sokka-"

"-were really worried about-"

"-alone with a bunch of men? Dad's gonna-"

"-just calm down."

"No. Really. You just wait 'til I tell him."

Katara rubbed her face and, when the flow of voices didn't die down, she stomped past them, sat down in an armchair, and snarled. "Do you want to know what happened, or not?"

Of course they wanted to know. Once everything settled down, Katara told her story quickly, sticking to the basics. When she came to the end, she settled a questioning gaze on Aang.

"Why did you all leave without me?" She wasn't entirely sure why she felt like she needed to look at Aang when she asked this, but didn't question it.

"Well…" Aang rubbed the back of his head, glancing at Toph and then Sokka and Suki, who were both shifting slightly in their seats, red-faced. "Toph and I left when the games all shut down. Sokka and Suki showed up and we figured you'd gone back already without telling us."

Katara wasn't quite able to keep the indignant tone from her voice. "You thought I'd do that?"

"Um…"

She turned her eyes to her brother. "Sokka?"

He shrugged, very interested in his boots at the moment. "I've never really known you to enjoy watching hours of tumbling, before… and you're pretty independent… I just figured you got bored and left."

"I still would have found one of you and let you know that I was leaving. I'm not _that_ irresponsible."

"Sorry, Katara… We just kind of thought you might be feeling-" Sokka cut off with a small grunt. Very close beside him, Suki smiled and finished his sentence.

"-tired."

Katara squinted at the couple, knowing she was missing something. She looked back at Aang, who wouldn't meet her eyes at all, now. Annoyed, she huffed, "Would somebody just tell me what's going on?"

"Agreed. Can we quit dancing around this, please?" Toph crossed her arms and stuck both legs straight out in front of her on the floor. Aang, sitting at the opposite end of the same sofa she was leaning up against, turned a little red.

Katara set her gaze on the blind girl. "Dancing around what?"

"Oh, come on! It's obvious that you and Aang aren't really into each other anymore, agreed?"

Aang's blush was contagious; Katara could feel it creeping across her own cheeks. "We… We haven't actually had time to talk about it…"

"That's because neither one of you _wants_ to talk about it. You're both afraid of hurting each other's feelings, so you treat a dead relationship like it might get better when it just can't. Get over it already. Move on." Toph waved her arms in the air as if shooing them both away.

Feeling a bit stung and still confused, Katara did as many better and more mature people had done before and would do again. She killed the messenger. "_You_ like Aang, don't you?"

Toph's pale eyes bulged and she sat forward from the sofa. "What? No!"

"I can tell you're lying," Katara said in a sing-song voice.

"Am not!" Now it was the earthbender's turn to go pink in the face. Katara started to feel the prickling beginnings of remorse.

There was a long silence in which everyone tried not to look at anyone else. Finally, Katara sighed. "I'm sorry, Toph. That wasn't called for. I mean… you're right, at least about me." She refused to look at Aang. "I'm not sure what any of this has to do with all of you believing that I would leave the carnival without you."

Another silence began, but Sokka broke this one. "Left out," he said. "We thought you might be feeling left out, got mad, and left."

Katara nodded, but didn't look at any of them. Wordlessly, she rose and began walking toward the bedroom she shared with the other girls.

"Katara?" She looked back. Aang was sitting up straight, his eyes stretched as if he was trying to take in everything, trying to understand it all at once. At the other end of the sofa, Toph was squinting, focusing on what her feet could tell her. Sokka was watching her as well, gauging her mood. Suki looked like she wanted to apologize.

"I wasn't feeling left out." She smiled a little, forced an almost-casual half-shrug. "I kind of am, now, though."

With that, she retreated into the dark of the bedroom, closing the door behind her. As she stripped off her clothes and bent water out of the pitcher on the wash stand to give herself a quick scrub – she _would not_ go to bed with blood on her skin – Katara thought about loneliness.

The South Pole was a lonely place, but she had always had Sokka and her grandmother and all of the members of the village to stand behind her, to help her feel better about things. Now, Katara found herself in a not-so-friendly land far from home, surrounded by friends she loved, but didn't quite understand, anymore.

Her loneliness became more than a lump in her throat or a looming sense of needing to do _something_. It was a silent partner and, quite suddenly, Katara realized that it would follow her anywhere she wanted it to.

After tugging on fresh sleep clothes, she burrowed into the narrow bed and wrapped herself in a cocoon with that loneliness. She didn't hear Toph or Suki come in at all.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Thanks so very, very much to everyone who has reviewed so far. I'm deeply grateful to you for taking those special minutes to make me feel like I did a good thing. Also, I'm sorry this chapter took a while - I was traveling a bit and lost my groove. But it's back, now. My groove, I mean...

* * *

Katara woke up the next morning when the sun rose hotly and began casting glowing beams across her coverlet. She let her eyes slit open just enough to acknowledge how bright it was, groaned, and then tugged the blanket higher and burrowed into the secure darkness beneath. Her dreams swallowed her.

It was the way they moved; lithe, quick, as if they were exempt from the natural laws binding everything else to the ground. She watched the five acrobats twist and flip, their exposed white flesh gleaming in the low light, just as she remembered it. The muscles in their arms and bellies bunched and twitched, their yellow eyes gleamed.

Sitting in the stands, Katara crossed her legs. Her sex clenched, sending a shiver of sensation through her. The tumblers leaped higher, faster. Despite their constant movement, Katara could feel their yellow eyes on her, as if she was the one putting on the show. Again, her inner muscles clenched and she closed her eyes, tilted her head back in a moment of wantonness. When she looked back, the tumblers were all wearing blue masks.

The next time she awoke, the sun had risen too high to cast light through the window. She sat up abruptly, realizing she had slept half the day away. Why had her friends let her sleep so long? Then, she remembered the scene of the night before. Oh.

Katara flopped back into the pillows - which pleasantly puffed out under her weight - and stared up at the ceiling. It was just as well, she supposed. Breakfast would have been awkward, anyway.

She rolled over and took some deep breaths, stretching her rib cage and then relaxing into the softness. Her eyes closed and she considered going back to sleep for a moment, but the heat of her dream had lingered and she found herself irreversibly awake. She shoved the blanket aside and laid under just the sheet and, as she squirmed in her bedding, her thighs rubbed together pleasantly. Her inner muscles clenched. She began gliding a slow hand down her belly.

"Katara? Are you awake? I brought you some lunch…"

As Suki entered the room, Katara stilled and feigned sleepiness. It was an easy act – she'd had lots of practice concealing her little indulgences in the close quarters back home – but it was still embarrassing to be caught and a blush heated her face. She let out a very real groan of annoyance and pulled the sheet over her head before Suki could spot her red cheeks.

"Come on, Katara. I know you had a rough night, but you've been sleeping for almost twelve hours, now." Under the cajoling, the waterbender could hear the sound of a tray being placed on her night table. "It's fish soup and some kind of really good fruit salad… Jasmine tea… Yum yum, right? Don't you want to come out?"

Katara lifted the sheet back far enough to peer with one eye at the Kyoshi warrior.

"No nuts?"

Suki grinned. "Well, the kiwi-berries _look_ like nuts, but they're technically fruit."

"I guess I have no excuse, then…" Katara heaved herself upright and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. The instant she looked up again, Suki was planting the tray over her lap.

"I almost had to nerve-pinch the cook who put this meal together to get her to let me bring it to you. Everyone here is very committed to doing their assigned work... It's almost creepy." Suki filled the porcelain cup with tea from a small pot. The warm scent of Jasmine filled the air as steam twirled lazily upwards.

Katara picked up the cup and held it close to her lips without drinking. "Wow, Suki… Thanks for braving all that peril for me…"

"That's what friends and future-sisters-in-law are for. Also-" Suki sat down on the edge of Katara's bed. "-we gossip. The _reason_ that all the servants are so hard working, or so I've overheard, is that Zuko has been firing anyone caught slacking off."

The waterbender swallowed some tea and then snickered. "Sounds like Zuko alright… all manic determination and high expectations…"

"I think it's starting to wear on him. He looks exhausted."

Katara set down her nearly-empty cup. "You mean you saw him?"

Suki grinned. "For a second. He was at both meals. Ate like a soldier and bolted back to his office. I don't think he takes breaks. More tea?" Before Katara could answer, Suki had refilled her cup.

"Thanks…" Katara took a long moment to select some kind of pale purple melon from the fruit salad, then locked eyes on the other woman. "You're making me feel really special here, Suki… Does that mean everyone else is mad at me or something?"

"Or something…" Suki turned away and stared towards the door, thoughtfully. Katara watched her for a second, considered pressing the subject, and abandoned that thought for the fruit salad – which actually was very good.

After a little while, Suki spoke. "Nobody meant for you to feel excluded, you know… it's nobody's fault. None of us even really realized that you were the odd one out until we were getting ready to leave the carnival. We've all changed since last year, you know? I guess we're still kind of learning how to be a group again." She peered at Katara, who was staring fixedly at her food. "Are you okay?"

The waterbender didn't look up. "I don't know. You're right, though – about everyone changing in their own ways and the group being disjointed because of that." She pushed the last kiwi-berry around the bottom of her bowl. "I'm not really mad … but I do need a little time to get used to… things being different. I think I need to be on my own for a little while. Walk the grounds or something." Aang's woeful face popped up in her mind. She looked at Suki to drive it away.

"Of course!" Suki nodded, her expression sympathetic. "There are a lot of beautiful gardens to see here. Will you at least come and have dinner with us?"

Katara allowed herself a smile. "Of course. How could I miss seeing one of the Fire Lord's rare appearances?"

* * *

True to intention, Katara went directly from dressing in her traditional blues to exploring the grounds around the palace. Most of the plants were lush and some were still blooming, but the heat of summer had taken its toll and, inevitably, there were many yellow leaves and shattered flowers.

She sat on a stone near a small pond and watched the turtle-ducks dive and splash for a long while. The sound of a stick breaking some distance away made her whirl to her feet and fall immediately into a bending posture.

It was only a guard, though, standing like an armored pillar beneath a peach-apple tree. Feeling a bit sheepish, Katara waved (he did not respond) and sat back down on the stone. The peace was broken, though, and memories of the previous night's attack flashed in her head, heightening her sense of ill-ease.

Eventually, she rose and strolled along a stone path that wound through the garden and then around a corner of the palace. Behind her, she could hear the distant sounds of the guard tailing her. Her expression darkened. Was it too much to ask that she be allowed to wallow in her misery alone?

Teeth gritted, Katara walked casually around the corner of the building and, as soon as she was out of the guard's sight, scrambled up the nearest tree. When she was high enough that the leaves and branches concealed her from below, she sat with one leg on either side of a broad branch and waited.

The waterbender couldn't see the guard directly, but she could hear the quick clank of his armor as he jogged by. When she could no longer hear his footsteps, a smirk crept across her face. It had been a while since Katara engaged in sneaky behavior and it felt surprisingly good to get back in the habit.

Her smirk faded a bit as two vaguely familiar voices came to her from above. She looked up and could see only leaves, but knew there had to be a window or a balcony somewhere above. For an instant, Katara considered climbing down and going about her own business – she'd lost her 'escort,' so she could go about having a normal, if mopey day, now… but having tasted sneakiness again after so long, she felt remarkably good... and feeling good was so much better than feeling bad.

Her smirk returned as she climbed higher up the trunk. The branches grew thinner, but the voices were much louder and, when she stopped and crouched on a branch that only just held her weight, Katara could make out much of what was being said.

The first voice, still mostly light and melodic but touched with the first hints of adulthood, was Aang's. Frustration made him speak louder, faster. "Zuko, I only want to help you!" His tone lowered, gentled. Katara missed some words. "…well as I do that you can't keep doing this forever. Spirits, have you _seen_ yourself recently? You look-"

The other voice was much lower, much older, and much more in control. It took her a second to realize it, but this was indeed the voice of the Fire Lord – a little deeper than it had been and weary, but still as persistent as ever. "…would much appreciate it if the Avatar would mind his own affairs."

"You don't want to talk about running yourself to death? Fine! How about the illegal stuff? The embezzling? How about all the bad stuff going on right under the Fire Nation's nose?"

"I told you, I'm handling it. The situation will be rectified shortly."

Aang scoffed and the roll of his eyes carried in his voice. "Right. It's all well under control. No obstacle is enough to stop the Mighty Fire Lord and his-"

There was a sound like a chair scraping on a hard wood floor. Zuko's voice came down to her in patches, low and fierce. "…a complete idiot? I told you… must not be spoken, here. If it is discovered… Fire Lord… will be no stopping them! …will dissipate… chance to… will be lost. …lucky if I'm not executed by an angry mob."

"Right. I'm sorry, Zuko. This is just so different from the way I would deal with a problem – I have trouble understanding."

"That is because you are the Avatar. We are not all so blessed with instant authority." A chair creaked as Zuko sat again and there was a long silence.

Katara's smirk was by now long-gone. Her jaw hung slightly slack. Was Zuko… _stealing_ from his own country? Embezzling, secrecy, worrying about angry mobs… and here was Aang, urging him to correct his ways. Really, it was no wonder people longed for a return to Azula's reign, if this was how Zuko handled the job.

Aang was speaking again, his voice hesitant. "Are we still friends, Zuko?"

Again, there was a long silence. At last, Zuko spoke. "Joining you was a turning point in my life. I will never regret it and I will always cherish my memories of the time I spent with you and the others. Still, I am what I was born to be, what I have always been." There was a creak and a shuffle, as if he was rising to stand. "I would urge you to remember the story of my great grand-father and Avatar Roku. If I were you, I would not trust the Fire Lord to save you from the fire."

Katara wobbled slightly on her branch. This could not be the Zuko she had known. Surely this was not the boy who had ridden with her to hunt down her mother's killer, or to this very city to fight his sister. Her stomach clenched. It was as if her friend had died.

"I am sorry, Avatar." The voice of the Fire Lord came to her again, jolted her from her daze.

Aang took a moment in responding and, when he did, his voice was somehow more adult, laden with some manner of wisdom. "There is no need to apologize for being honest, Fire Lord Zuko. However, I would seek to remind you of something else." There was a sound of another body rising from its chair. "I'm not Avatar Roku and you're not your great grand-father. Destiny sometimes takes us by unexpected routes, but I believe completely that your path will cross mine again and again." Katara couldn't believe it, but she thought she could hear Aang smiling. "Someday, your answer will be 'yes,' again."

Katara shook her head, not so sure she shared Aang's confidence. She listened as he exchanged parting words with the firebender, then left the room. Thinking perhaps to catch some further dirty secrets, she held her place in the tree for a long while. All she really overheard were the sounds of a few financiers being interviewed in a language of mathematical jargon too thick for her to penetrate. Then, there was silence interjected with the scratching of a pen on paper.

It was kind of impressive that Zuko could speak Math, but not impressive enough to get him off the hook for stealing from the treasury while people were starving in his streets… If they were still friends, she would let him have it. Oh, he'd be sorry he ever strayed from the side of good. Then again, just because he was no longer Aang's friend didn't mean that he wasn't hers… Maybe she'd give him a talking-to anyway.

But not right now, after her little play at espionage. Now, it would be best to slip away, unseen.

Katara's legs were a bit numb and stiff and, as she began climbing down from the tree, she slipped, barely managing to grab the branch above her to save herself a nasty fall. She breathed a few deep sighs of relief. How fine it would be if she broke her leg while eavesdropping…

Still, her boot scraping against the bark had made a conspicuous sound and she could hear the Fire Lord's footsteps as he approached the window. Katara's heart hammered against her breastbone, even though she knew she could not be seen for all the leaves. She held very still, waiting for him to move away from the window so that she could, you know, slip away… unseen.

"I know you're there, spy." His voice was a growl, a threat. It made Katara uncomfortably aware of the sensitive nature of what she had learned. What might a ruthless firebender do to protect such information? She did not get much time to wonder. "Identify yourself before I burn that tree to the ground with you in it."

* * *

AN: Boy, I sure could go for some more reviews... they sure do make it easier to write the next chapter... which may or may not contain adventure, blackmail, and fine dining... hint hint, tease tease... Actually, to come clean, the next chapter is nearly ready, but I'm not posting it until I get some serious reviews. This chapter has had thirty hits in about four hours. So, as soon as I get ten (totally reasonable number) reviews, I'll post the next chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: So, here's the deal. I'm cracking this time because I really like this chapter and couldn't wait to put it out here. Next time, though, I'm super-serial. Ten reviews before the next chapter goes up. For Realz. To you four awesome people who reviewed last chapter - you rock and I love you all. Hope you like this!

* * *

"Identify yourself before I burn that tree to the ground with you in it."

Biting back a choice retort (along the lines of _I'd like to see you try,_) Katara mentally scrambled for a solution. She desperately did not want to admit to having eavesdropped or to knowing what she now knew, but she obviously wasn't going to get to sneak off as she'd hoped. Water was, if anything, an element of adaptation, though; if it could not go under, it flowed over or trickled through. She licked her lips and whispered to cloak her voice.

"And risk me disappearing while all eyes are on that big, flaming mess? I think not." She was surprised at the sound that came from her throat. It was a little husky, a little creepy, and very in control. It reminded her of that bounty hunter – what was her name? Started with a J…

There was a pause, though not of hesitation – not exactly. Then, Zuko's voice came back to her, loaded with arrogant contempt. "Do you realize that espionage against the Fire Lord is punishable by death? My guards are everywhere. Even with a distraction, you will not get far." Katara imagined he was probably leaning out the window, his face in the same smirking expression he'd used when he tied her to that tree. "Then, to be sure I know your motivations, you will be tortured. Horrifically. Eventually, there will be an execution, but by that time, you'll probably be very satisfied with the idea."

"What a gentleman you are to be so concerned with my satisfaction..." Katara's face reddened – she had not entirely meant to say that out loud and certainly had not meant to pronounce the word 'satisfaction' in that slow, provocative way. The Voice was taking over her brain… Still, there was some practicality to this – there was no way Zuko would recognize her. Where she might have expected words, there was only a shocked silence.

Katara's smirk returned. "Tell you what, Fire Lord. I'm feeling generous and you've been down-right polite, so I'll make a deal with you. Meet me in the courtyard with the fish fountain at midnight and we'll talk about how I might be persuaded to sell your secrets back to you."

"What's to stop me from surrounding that courtyard with guards tonight and watching from a safe distance as they fill you with arrows?"

"I should think my dying words would stop you. I wonder, would your guards join that angry mob that's going to execute you-" she let out a low chuckle, "-or would they _lead_ it?"

Again, there was silence. This was good – Katara had made him understand that she had been here for a while, she had heard his conversation with Aang, and she knew things that were dangerous to him. She was in complete control, which meant that she could get away safely. The meeting, of course, was just a distraction; there was no way she'd show up for that!

"Midnight, Fire Lord. Don't make me wait."

Katara lowered herself to the next branch before she heard _those_ movements and the smirk was once again wiped from her face. Perhaps… she was not so in control, after all.

If she hadn't been attacked by so many firebenders, she might not have recognized the sounds of feet hitting floorboards in an attack form. As it was, she barely managed three running steps along the branch she stood on before the explosion hurled her out of the tree and away from the palace. There was a sharp pain in the back of her shoulder.

In her brief instants of flight, Katara spotted the guard who had been following her. He was jogging down the stone path towards the blown-up tree with the same awkward armored trot of a rhinocero-potomus. He did not seem to see her, due to her considerable altitude.

As luck would have it, Katara was blown in the general direction of a small, ornamental pond. In mid-air, she twisted her body through a complex form and the water reached up in a shimmering tentacle to curl around her and draw her safely into the basin of the pond.

She emerged from the dark water amongst a crowd of lily pads under an over-hanging bank and watched as the tree burned across the garden. She hadn't realized she had flown so far… The distance was approximately the full length of two of her tribe's ships laid end-to-end.

And that tree was really burning.

It appeared that the Fire Lord took blackmail very seriously.

Guards were coming from all around now, many gathering around the tree and trying to guide the flames to keep the blaze from spreading to the palace. Slowly, so as not to be noticed, Katara emerged from the water and darted behind a tree. As she did, she gasped – a surprisingly sharp pain jolted through her shoulder. Reaching back with her other arm, she withdrew a long sliver of wood. No wonder…

After bending herself dry and using that water to stop the bleeding from her shoulder, Katara crept from tree to shrubbery to ornamental bush, staying out of sight as much as possible and looking around in all directions to be sure she wasn't spotted. At last, she rounded the bend to another side of the palace and, careful to avoid any guards, strolled inside.

Though she was fairly sure no one had seen her, Katara continued cautiously to her dormitory, dodging behind pillars when she heard someone coming and regulating the noise of every footfall. As she went, her own voice hissed in her memory and her lip twisted, mocking, as she mouthed the words.

_Midnight, Fire Lord._

How stupid could she be? No way was she showing up for that. Zuko would have her shot down with fire and arrows and Yue only knew what else. No, she'd lay low until he forgot all about this little mishap. That's exactly what she'd do.

At last, she came to the lounge and slipped inside, shutting the door quietly behind her. She was so focused on closing the door softly that she jumped when Toph spoke to her.

"Wow. You're in big trouble, aren't you?"

After stepping away from the door (her back had somehow become pressed to the surface) Katara stepped toward the couch where Toph lounged, picking the toes of her right foot. As smoothly as she could, the waterbender shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Toph let go of her foot and leaned back, sighing. "There was a medium-sized explosion out in one of the gardens just a few minutes ago and you were sneaking around out in the hall. Also, you're lying."

Katara sat down in a chair across from the earthbender. "Okay. So I might, hypothetically be in trouble, if I created that explosion – which I did not."

Toph's eyes narrowed. "You aren't technically lying, but I know you were involved, so you might as well spill."

"That depends… are you mad enough to tell on me?"

"I don't know." Toph started picking the toes of her left foot. There was a long moment during which Katara wondered whether she really _was_ about to be in big trouble. At last, Toph said, "I think I was maddest because, I guess… well, you sort of… You were right, okay? I like Aang. There. I said it. Happy?"

Katara opened her mouth to speak a qualified 'no' but Toph rolled over her. "I mean, is it so much to ask for a blind girl to find a little happiness, too? Back home, my parents kept trying to introduce me to 'suitable young gentlemen'-" She managed to interject scathing disgust into these words with the use of her tone and the sharp quotation marks she made with her fingers. "-and they were all the blandest wimps I'd ever met. Then, when Aang came to visit in the spring, it was like old times. We trained for hours and it was… it was so much _fun_. I was so wrapped up in being miserable that I'd almost forgotten how to have fun. I mean… you can understand that, right?"

"What, not knowing how to have fun?" Katara deadpanned.

Toph snorted and dropped her left foot back to the floor. "Well, that too. What I meant was… forgetting how much fun we had and then having something happen to just… remind you? …and then it's like you've never been happier? You know?"

The waterbender opened her mouth to say that, no, she didn't really know and Toph could quit already with the leading tone because Katara really didn't know what she was getting at, but then she stopped. Her heart was still beating fast, her cheeks felt flushed, her clothes were dirty, and her hair was out of order. That was when she realized… she'd been having fun. Being attacked and sneaking around, she'd been having the best time in months… in a year.

"Yeah… I guess I do."

Toph clapped her hands. "Good. So tell me what happened that was so great it's got you as excited as a badger-mole in a rabbit-grub colony."

"Not a word to any of the others? Aang included."

She raised a hand. "Rumble Champ's honor."

Figuring this was about the best she'd get, Katara folded her legs under her. "I was spying on Zuko's meeting with Aang and nearly got caught. He blew up my tree."

"I _thought_ that felt like a tree blowing up…" Toph wiggled her toes. "Why were you spying on Sparky, anyway? Did you forget that he's our friend?"

"It was an accident, at first… I mean, I know he's changed since the old days, but I'm not so sure that he hasn't changed back, either." Katara's eyes narrowed, her brows drawing down in thought.

Toph sat still for a minute. "You really like being his personal morality police force, don't you?"

Katara frowned. "I didn't say that…"

"Whatever. Omitting the fact doesn't make it any less true." Toph stood and began walking for the door. "You'd better get cleaned up if you wanna keep playing innocent at dinner, tonight, Sweetness."

After watching her friend leave, Katara smiled. She was Sweetness again, so things had to be going right.

After bathing, she brushed and braided her hair into the still-unfamiliar, but traditional knots. Then, with fresh skin and fresh underclothes, the waterbender looked at her face in the vanity and smiled. She really did look happy. And when she spoke, low and hissing, her eyes lit up.

"Midnight, Fire Lord. Don't make me wait."

Maybe it was just The Voice, taking her over, driving her to do something just a little crazy. Or a lot crazy. Regardless, when Katara looked at herself, ready for a new adventure, she felt a flame of pride in her belly.

There was no way she'd miss this.

* * *

Pacing through the residual smoke in his office, Zuko thought his head might go up in flames at any second.

This was a complete nightmare. Not only was his nation in dire financial straits; he was struggling to keep up with the demands of a job that was eating him alive. Not only that; half of his people detested him for anything from doing a hap-hazard job at ending the war, to making necessary budget cuts, to _letting_ his betrothed walk out on him a month before they were to be wed. As if he had a choice in any of that. Especially the last bit.

On top of that, he was preparing to host a ridiculous week of observances and diplomatic talks that would doubtlessly result in the Fire Nation paying out even more reparations to the other nations. Then, there was the issue that the Avatar had been pestering him about – which was entirely a situation that called for Fire Nation justice and was not a problem that Aang could just swoop in and fix with his stupid glider and his stupid bison and his stupid friends.

And now, there was some tree-climbing demon-woman threatening to expose his secret exploits.

In most circumstances, Zuko refrained from burning people who were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even people who pushed him to the limits of his patience, any more, could get off with just a few harsh words and (depending on the situation) a mild capital punishment.

The woman in the tree, though, had threatened more than just his reputation. He hadn't been willing to risk her letting on to any of his staff, to anyone at all. Better that she died quickly and the secret with her…

But no, she escaped the flames. Zuko hadn't been able to see where she went, due to the fire blocking his window. The windows of his office would need cleaning, now, as they were all blackened with soot. Actually, that whole side of the palace could do with a wash…

It had crossed his mind that he had imagined her, that he had been hearing voices and was about to go as mad as Azula. Then, a guard had reported finding a piece of wood with blood staining half of it. Zuko had breathed a sigh of relief even as the sick weight of dread settled in his gut.

If she was real, then she was still in the palace and was likely to remain in the palace. Perhaps she was a servant or a guard, perhaps a guest – though how one of his current female guests would know the location of his office was beyond him. None of them had had an appointment.

Still, Suki had amazing gymnastic and covert skills and Katara was… very nosy. It was difficult to imagine either of these two using the voice he had heard, though. They were both so young in his memory…

…and that voice had not been a girl's voice. The memory of her parting words made Zuko tug his high collar. _Don't make me wait._ Indeed.

There was a knock at his door. Zuko sat down behind his desk and cleared his throat – for which he blamed the smoke. "Enter."

A calm-faced serving woman (Lin, though Zuko was not supposed to call her by name) entered, opened her mouth to speak, and then choked back a cough. Zuko's eyes darted to one side of the room, but he otherwise made no move as she reacted to the smoky air. Eventually, she spoke, voice as relaxed and submissive as her posture, despite the coughing fit. "Fire Lord Zuko, dinner will be served very soon. Shall I have it brought to you?"

"No. I will be down momentarily."

"Yes, Fire Lord Zuko." She paused, glanced at his face, then back at the floor. "Would the Most Honorable Lord like a damp towel?"

Zuko frowned. "Why would I want a towel?"

"The Most Honorable Lord has soot on his face."

"Oh. Then yes. A towel is a good idea." It had taken him a while to stop thanking servants when he first returned to the palace. Lin was an older woman and had no use for his thanks, which she made perfectly clear until, at last, she met with success in the form of a dignified Fire Lord who never said 'please,' 'thank you,' or 'sorry about the smoke.' Her efforts to 'recivilize' him had actually been vital to Zuko's successful claim on the throne. So, when Lin began to turn to leave, Zuko spoke. "There is one other matter."

"Yes, Fire Lord Zuko?"

"Have someone clean the windows tomorrow."

Lin's crows' feet lengthened from the corners of her smiling eyes as she stared at the floor with something like pride. "Yes, Fire Lord Zuko."

As soon as she had left the room, Zuko rubbed a finger down one cheek. As expected, it came away with a black smudge that emphasized the whorled ridges of his fingerprint while masking his pale flesh. Unbidden, the sultry voice of the spy resurfaced in his memory.

_Midnight, Fire Lord._

It seemed he had no choice. He rose from his chair and rubbed his hands together while pacing slowly to the window. For a long moment, he watching the remains of the tree smolder. Then, he smirked.

She had not, unfortunately for her, specified a dress code.

* * *

AN: If you wanna see the next chapter (and I know you do, cause it's totally awesome and there's chocolate sauce and awkward conversations...) post a review. Please?


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Some observant observers may note that there are not yet ten reviews on the last chapter, but here is this new chapter, as if in spite of all my super serial threats... I can only explain by saying that I'm a big softy, flattery gets you everywhere, the word 'please' all in caps tugs at my heart strings, and I have really enjoyed writing this (and the next) chapter. I hope you enjoy reading it just as much. A big thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far - reviews make it happen!

snarkhunter: Thanks so much for your comment! I don't like that sort of forced mystery, either, and dragging this one out as long as I have has kind of grated on me. (Hopefully, it hasn't been that way for my darling readers!) While I am a fan of masks and hot, covert action, I feel like Katara should be a smart narrator and it can be hard to go on thinking a narrator is smart when she doesn't know what the reader knows. In summation, fear not!

* * *

When he entered the dining hall, he did not immediately notice her. In fact, between the fluttering motions of servants, the obnoxiously chummy chatter of the Avatar, and Toph loudly demanding who stank like a burn pit, Zuko did not notice Katara until the main course had been served.

She was tucked in between Sokka and a group of delegates from Ba Sing Se who had also (curse them) arrived early. They were all modestly-ranked noblemen who had come to act as the eyes, ears, and mouth of the Earth King prior to his arrival, which for the most part meant touring the Fire Nation, interrogating Zuko on his political choices, and later reporting to their sovereign. This would not bother Zuko, except that he was forced by protocol to feed and house them, which cost money.

The man directly beside the waterbender kept smiling his greasy smile and lightly brushing her elbow with his own as he cut his meat. This man was the first reason Zuko had to look directly at Katara (rather than glare past her at the Earth Lords as a group) because he apparently sawed his knife far more than was necessary to cut through the chef's delicate pheasant-squirrel and the waterbender finally lost her temper and snarled quietly at him.

"Lord Bao-Tong, if you elbow me one more time, I will shove that bird down your fat throat with my boot. Do you understand me?"

Despite her attempt to control the volume of her threat, Katara's voice carried to both ends of the table. Lord Bao-Tong turned as red as a Crying Fire Chili, hurriedly said something along the lines of 'yes, most honored Waterbending Master Katara,' and kept his flabby joints to himself thenceforth.

There was a long moment during which everyone at the table was secreting glances at the rigid-backed waterbender, except for her brother, who had leaned back to glare like a demon at the delegate. The other Earth Lords took turns shooting both Bao-Tong and Katara disapproving looks. Zuko, in a magnanimous moment, decided to end her suffering.

"Master Katara," he began. When her eyes settled on him, they were wide, shining blue and, for just that instant, he forgot what he had intended to say. She had the look of something small and trapped that expected to be devoured. At last, and now with everyone's eyes on him, he cleared his throat (damn that smoke!) and went on. "Sokka tells me that much has changed for the Southern Water Tribe in the past year but, apart from outlining in dizzying detail the building of bigger ships, he could not tell me what else has changed."

She smiled, looking relieved and genuinely pleased. "Well, with the help of our cousins to the north, the village has grown into a small town, with ice buildings and canals, as they have there – if you remember."

Zuko nodded. "How could I forget?" He swallowed as memory passed between them. Something was not quite right, there… There was suspicion in her eyes, again. He looked away and drank from his cup. "Go on."

"The return of trained waterbenders to our land has changed so much. My people are no longer so consumed with survival that they can do nothing else. The arts have flourished and, with so many new healers and so many husbands returning from war, births have been more successful and the population has grown." She was smiling again, clearly pleased by and proud of the success of her people. Zuko found his own lips curling up at their edges; a love of one's nation was something he could relate to.

She went on, "As my father is sure to tell you upon his arrival in two days' time, the Southern Water Tribe is deeply grateful for the monetary reparations made by the Fire Nation. And, as Sokka may-" she glanced at her brother, who was packing crackle beans into his mouth like some kind of top-knotted hamster-rat, "-or may not have mentioned, your contributions have doubled our fishing fleet and left ships to spare to make necessary trips overseas."

Though he had followed her and her friends through the dark streets the previous night, Zuko hadn't really gotten a good look at the waterbender until the end of the fight, when she had gone on the defensive, raising tentacles of water and blood from the street. Then, she had looked much as she had under Ba Sing Se, like a formidable master of her art.

Now, though, in the light of day, Zuko could not help analyzing the ways in which she had changed. At first, he only really noticed that Katara was not seated next to Aang. Rather, in her place, Toph sat beside the Avatar, as she had at breakfast and lunch. In fact, the pair had separated from Katara at the carnival, as well, now that he thought about it. At the time, Zuko had not considered any of this significant, but it appeared that he had been mistaken; the Avatar and the waterbender must have parted ways.

She showed no signs of sadness, though, and as he looked more closely, other changes became more apparent. Her face had lost the roundness of childhood, leaving the high cheeks of an adult behind. Her hair fell into a loose braid, except for two locks that came down in front of her ears, each with two pale blue beads at the ends that swayed just below her jaw when she turned her head or shrugged. Then, it hit him.

"What happened to your hair loopies?"

In the ensuing silence, Zuko wondered when he had lost the wait-time between 'think' and 'say.' Then, Sokka and Aang both snorted and burst out in raucous laughter while Katara chuckled, looked at her plate, and turned delightfully pink in the cheeks.

"I grew up," she muttered.

Aang gave the straightest answer. "She turned sixteen and became eligible for marriage, according to Southern Water Tribe customs. Hair loopies are for little girls. Beaded braids are for adults."

"Yeah, our wittwe Katawa is a _woman_, now!"

Katara curled her lip at her brother. "Shut up, Sokka, before your girlfriend makes you."

Suki grinned and placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned to face her and Zuko could clearly see the desire to please bloom in the younger man's face. It made him… decidedly uncomfortable.

Clearly, a swift change in subject was necessary. Zuko searched his memory for the last non-hair-loopie-related topic. "I am glad that the Fire Nation was able to assist the Southern Water Tribe in this time of need and, in addition to the issue of further reparations, I hope to focus discussions in the coming week on the opening of trade routes between our countries. Such an arrangement could only benefit our peoples."

The waterbender's expression had shifted from the scowl for her brother to interest and again to a pleased smile as Zuko finished his pitch. "I completely agree. In fact, it would be especially nice to have access to some of the spices used in Fire Nation cuisine – you can really only cook sea prunes so many ways…"

"Oh!" Sokka grinned at Zuko and held his hands out in a 'picture it' gesture. "All time favorite: deep fried in seal-turtle fat. Incredible. They're all crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. If you ever take a vacation, you should come on down. Katara will make you some."

"Oh. That sounds… delightful. Thank you."

"Actually," Katara cut in, her grin somewhat fierce, "Sokka has been learning to make them for himself, since I won't be around forever for him to feed off of. Right, Sokka?"

"You said you weren't in any hurry to marry and, besides, they're not as good when I make them…" Sokka jolted slightly, as if being elbowed from both sides simultaneously, and sat up straighter. "But right you are, Katara. It would be good for me to stop relying on you and to broaden the range of skills that makes me so appealing to my betrothed." Though enthusiastically said, this sounded scripted. But, when Sokka beamed at Suki again, she seemed pleased. Zuko smirked, just a little, and looked away.

He immediately found his eyes caught in the Avatar's knowing gaze. "Not to change the subject, but I've been meaning to ask you, Zuko… where is Mai?"

Zuko frowned slightly and repressed the urge to tell the Avatar to go suck a cloud. "I guess she's still at her family's summer home, but I don't really know. We're out of touch."

Suki chimed in. "Awe, I'm sorry, Zuko. She seemed to really like you."

Zuko smirked. "Well, she didn't not care about me…"

Amongst the blank faces peering back at him, one of the delegates from Ba Sing Se raised a hand. "Fire Lord Zuko, does this mean you will hear marital propositions during the coming week?"

Zuko's eyes widened briefly before he snapped, "Not likely. I have enough to keep me busy right now without worrying about getting married."

"But, Fire Lord," another delegate persisted, "A nation requires an heir to the thrown in order to feel secure about its future. Surely your people would be happier with the promise of a child before them."

"My nation's fears will not be set aside just because I marry," Zuko ground out.

"Actually…" The Avatar sat up, placing both palms flat on the table on either side of his plate. "I think you should seriously consider it."

"What?" Zuko heard himself echoed by several voices at the front of the table – at the back of his mind, he knew he should pick them out and acknowledge that these were his true allies, but he was too distracted.

It was easy to recognize Katara's voice, though, when she went on. "Aang, you can't be serious."

"Just think about it. Zuko, if, hypothetically, you're in an accident or you have a health problem…"

"Or somebody kills you," Toph provided, helpfully. Zuko narrowed his eyes at her.

Aang continued, unfazed. "Think about who would be crowned, in that event."

"Iroh," Zuko blurted.

"Who is too old to produce an heir. Who else?"

Zuko scowled at his plate. Since Lu Ten's death, he had no first cousins. That left only a squabble between second cousins or… No…

He met Aang's eyes. How was it that this hadn't been brought to his attention before now? Why did it take the Avatar to see that, if Zuko did not produce an heir, the next person to take the throne could be…

"Azula." Even though he said the name softly, a dignitary at the far end of the table choked on his wine. Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose as the noise started up.

Sokka banged a fist on the table. "But she's insane!"

"Yeah, insane doesn't really do much to stop a line of succession, Snoozles. Think of King Bumi."

At the far end of the table, the protests were less open to conversation. "Fire Lord Zuko, if Azula takes control of the Fire Nation, Ba Sing Se will independently launch a campaign to end her rule. The Earth King has sworn-"

"-must marry immediately, not only to avert potential war with the Earth Kingdom, but to spare your own country the violent future Azula would-"

"-rumor about some blue-faced vigilante, probably an Azula supporter bent on assassinating you?"

"-marriage to an Earth Kingdom noblewoman would be a promise of continued peace and cooperation with all-"

"-meet with potential brides as soon as possible – a ship could come from Ba Sing Se by late next week-"

"Just think of the kind of devastation Azula could cause as Fire Lord, Zuko." This from the Avatar, who was resolutely playing the part of an ally who was not a friend.

For the second time that day, Zuko could feel the flames creeping into his head…

* * *

Katara had trouble believing it, but she was starting to feel sorry for Zuko. No, no – this wasn't Zuko, Her Friend, it was Fire Lord Zuko, Who Steals.

It was difficult to keep the two distinct, because he looked the same as he always had, for the most part. A little taller and broader in the shoulders, though not by much, but the same scar was there on his face and that made it difficult for Katara to forget that Fire Lord Zuko had not so long ago been Her Friend, as well.

He looked genuinely exhausted and, after all this talk of imminent marriage, there was a light of panic in his yellow eyes that gave Katara the unsettling urge to come to the rescue. After all, fear of being forced into an unwanted marriage was something she could relate to. She resisted for as long as she could, but then her tender heart pushed her into action.

"Hey, let's all calm down, alright?" She repeated some variation of this phrase three or four times before frustration got the better of her and she drew in a big breath with the intention of shouting something that she really shouldn't.

Luckily, Toph broke in at just that moment with a sharp whistle. The delegates quieted instantly. "Sweetness, here, has something to say… so can it." Having said her piece, she sat back in her chair, arms crossed.

"Thank you, Toph," Katara said in as dignified a manner as possible. Turning her head towards the delegates, she continued. "As I was saying, there is no need for hysterics. I'm sure Fire Lord Zuko will take this matter under serious consideration and his attendant will gladly schedule meetings in the coming days to address it. Right, Fire Lord Zuko?" She turned a questioning eye on the firebender, who had emerged from his slump to stare at her.

He hesitated for only an instant before supplying, "Yes, of course."

Katara nodded and turned back towards the other end of the table. "Will this satisfy the honored delegates of Ba Sing Se?" The tone of her voice was more command than request.

There were some whispers and shrugs and then, louder, a few 'yes, Master Katara's.

"Then it's settled. Business, later. Now, desert." Katara caught the eyes of a servant over Toph's head, but his focus immediately shot to the head of the table. Following his glance, the waterbender spotted Zuko, who was still staring at her. She had time enough to catch his calculating expression before he turned away and gave a nod.

Immediately, the plates were taken away and small cups of chocolate sauce were served with delicate wafers for dipping. Not really thinking about politeness, Katara touched the tip of one finger to the surface of her chocolate and brought it to her mouth to taste. Her eyes fluttered shut and her brow furrowed. The sauce was warm and had a hint of some sort of pepper to it that gave a delectable bite to the sweetness.

Next to her, Sokka was making soft mewling sounds as he chomped and slurped at the slightly reduced volume that he considered fit for fine dining. With a sigh, the waterbender selected a wafer and followed her brother on a journey of deliciousness.

As Katara munched her desert, she could see Zuko stealing glances at her from the corner of her eye. She tried not to squirm, tried not to look guilty. Had he figured out that she was the one who had been spying on him earlier? Was that why he kept looking at her? Or was he watching Sokka stuff his face like a half-starved hawk-fox? Or was he really watching _her_ suck back chocolate like she'd never had it before? Were her table manners that bad?

A little chocolate dribbled from her wafer as she brought it to her mouth and Katara sighed as it oozed down her chin. She could use a napkin… she could. But that would waste a perfectly fine drop of that glorious chocolate… She raised a finger to her chin.

Yes. Yes, her table manners were that bad.

* * *

Zuko was trying very hard to not look at Katara. He tried to focus on the peppery spice of the chocolate, which was usually his favorite desert, but his eyes were pulled constantly back to the waterbender.

She had defended him from those vultures from Ba Sing Se with diplomacy and a measure of command he had somehow forgotten that she had. Stupid of him, really. She was a chief's daughter in a rebuilding society that dealt often with a sister society to the north; of course she knew how to diffuse a difficult situation. In fact, if she was of age, she may even have faced this conversation before from his position.

It occurred to Zuko that, really, he had never given much thought to Katara's political standing. He had called her 'peasant' for so long and then lived as a peasant himself, so when he joined with the Avatar, he considered her to be his equal. Now, it occurred to him that he had misunderstood Water Tribe culture; Katara walked and lived amongst her people in a way that Zuko had equated with peasantry, but she was still born into a position of power. When her people suffered, Katara suffered beside them, but she was still their leader.

And here he sat, eating pheasant-squirrel and chocolate down the table from her while so many of his people struggled to survive. She must secretly loathe him.

Sadly, all of this consideration of politics and culture was wiped from Zuko's mind the instant he watched her lick chocolate from her finger. After that point, the staring had taken on a wholly different flavor.

She was really rather pretty, always had been pretty, if he allowed himself to remember her that way – which he did, now, because she wasn't his enemy and she no longer seemed so much younger than he was. It was in her smile, her composure… the way she wiped chocolate off her chin with one finger and then plunged it between her parted lips.

Realizing that his pants were getting tight, Zuko set his eyes resolutely on his own cup of chocolate, only to discover that it was bubbling thickly around the edges of the porcelain. His internal heat was getting away from him. How embarrassing.

As soon as was politely possible, he bid his guests a pleasant evening and excused himself. If he was going to take care of that spy tonight, he would need to meditate, stretch the stress from his muscles, and sharpen his Dao swords… and also forget about the waterbender's soft-looking lips.

Striding down the hall to his room, Zuko took some deep, reassuring breaths. The secret would be safe again, soon.

* * *

Katara also made an early night of it, claiming to still be tired from all the excitement the night before. When she reached the girls' dormitory, though, she immediately stuffed pillows under the covers of her bed in a general body-shape and then began digging through her wardrobe. At last, packed into a drawer with her underwear, she found the wrinkly, dark getup she'd been looking for; the same clothes she had worn over a year ago when she and Zuko went in search of the Southern Raiders.

The pants were a bit tighter across the hips than they should have been, but, after a few stretches, they loosened enough for full range of motion. The bust was also a bit snug, but it did not impede her arms and was therefore easy for Katara to ignore.

It was possible that Zuko would recognize the clothes, but they weren't especially remarkable and, with the addition of a black shirt wrapped around her head in a make-shift zukin to hide her bunned-up hair and a liberal dose of Suki's face paint to disguise the color of her only visible skin – around her eyes – Katara felt her identity was secure.

In the dim candlelight of the girls' bedroom, Katara examined her reflection. Wide blue eyes were the only visible part of the girl she had been. Otherwise, she was a shadow.

She was holding her water flask and debating as to whether bringing it would be too conspicuous when Toph strolled in. Katara froze and watched as the earthbender scuffed to her bed and flopped down on top of the covers. With her face half-buried in pillows, her voice was muffled, but still completely comprehensible.

"Have fun. Don't do anything stupider than usual."

Saying nothing (but rolling her eyes most emphatically) Katara set the canteen aside and slipped out a window.

The courtyard with the fish fountain was not far from her dormitory when walking through the corridors, but it was not so easily reached on the outside of the building. There was a narrow ledge to creep along, a drain pipe to climb, and a roof to scramble over. Katara wasn't entirely sure she would have made it without bending the sweat from her forehead into hand- and footholds.

At last, she dropped into the courtyard from the second story rooftop, using the water in the fountain to construct a slide to ease her fall. Despite the time it had taken her to reach the meeting place, Katara knew she was at least an hour early. This was intentional; better that than let Zuko get the drop on her. No sooner than she hit the ground, the waterbender darted into the shadows of a small, vine-covered arbor. As an afterthought, she flicked a tendril of water out from the stone fish's mouth to extinguish all but one of the lanterns hanging around the courtyard. Then, crouching, she listened to the night insects and waited.

It was a much shorter wait than she had expected. Just as her legs were beginning to stiffen beneath her, a dark figure entered the courtyard on the other side of the fountain. Katara questioned for a moment whether her eyes were playing tricks on her; he could have been a shadow cast by the flicker of the remaining lamp, the way he moved. Then, he slipped through a patch of light and Katara made out a dark boot.

"Why, Fire Lord…" she whispered, catching the shadow's instant stillness as he realized he'd been caught. Slowly rising, Katara took two steps out of the arbor. The upraised edge of the fountain stood just beside her and something about the splash of water was making her bold. "You're early. Come out, now, so we can talk…"

Indeed, the figure emerged, but not with the Fire Lord's stately stride. Instead, he burst from the shadows towards her, heralded by the ring of steel as two Dao swords came free and led by the fierce face of the Blue Spirit.

* * *

AN: No requirements. If I say, PLEASE, though, does it work as well on you as it does on me?


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Wow! Thanks, quick reviewers! Five in one night - it was like Christmas! I'm posting this now, because I won't have access to my computer for a few days, so read it veeery slowly. Hope you like it!

badonyx: Thanks for all of your comments, throughout the chapters of this story - I appreciate every one! I hope you don't hold all that marriage talk against Aang; he's just trying to save the world with foresight, is all... ;)

* * *

Though it was not in the forefront of her mind, Katara realized instantly that the part of this adventure that had been a game was over, now.

Really, she was more focused on dodging and skittering back out of the way. The Dao swords slashed through the air where she had just been and one sent off sparks as it struck the fountain. Immediately, the Blue Spirit attacked again.

When she leapt back beneath the arbor, his blade sliced through the wood, sweeping the entire structure into kindling in a single stroke. He leapt over the wreckage before it had even had time to all hit the ground.

The Blue Spirit pursued her in the same way that he had attacked her firebending guard the previous night; he drove her back relentlessly, never allowing her a firm footing. It was a highly effective method of keeping firebenders from using their most powerful weapon… but Katara was no firebender.

In her next smooth motion of retreat, Katara pulled the entire contents of the fountain down over them both and immediately froze the water in place. His blades stopped a mere hand's width from her chest.

Her exhalation as she thawed the ice around her body was a sigh of relief.

Katara let the water fall away from her and then, walking slowly around the captured Blue Spirit, she thought hard and fast about what this man's presence meant.

It was possible that he was an assassin working for Zuko… but then why would he have attacked her, an ally, the previous night? It was also possible that he had been waiting to catch Zuko at this meeting… but if Zuko didn't tell him about it, how could the Blue Spirit have known to be here?

Under the ice, the man gave off a tiny, muffled sound.

With a thoughtful frown, Katara melted back the ice from his head and neck. Still frozen from the shoulders down in that final double thrust, he took several desperate gasps of fresh air and then turned his masked face to stare at her.

"Who are you and why are you here?" Katara asked. Her tone was quiet, her voice undisguised; she had already given herself away by waterbending, so there was no longer a point in pretending.

Except for his still-heavy breathing, the Blue Spirit did not speak.

With an impatient huff, Katara hooked her fingers under the chin of the mask and flipped it over his head. After the clatter of it falling against the stones of the walkway and on into the silence after, she stared down at that familiar, scarred face.

Zuko stared back. He looked just as surprised as she felt.

Eventually, the waterbender regained the power of speech. "_You're_ the Blue Spirit?"

Zuko hesitated, then narrowed his eyes. "I thought you knew that already – isn't that why we're here?"

Katara crossed her arms and curled her lip at him. "No. We're here because I overheard you and Aang talking about how you were embezzling money from the Fire Nation, but running around in a disguise, striking terror into the hearts of your people really isn't much better, _Fire Lord_."

"Could you keep your voice down? And let me out of this ice – I'm-"

"I will do no such thing," Katara hissed, leaning close to point a finger in his face. "You _attacked_ me. Twice. In under twenty-four hours."

"I did not! I saved your life last night and- well…" He dropped his eyes off to one side as it suddenly sank in, just how close he had come to sinking a sword into Katara. "I- I didn't know it was you, this time, but if I had, I wouldn't have-"

"What do you mean – that bit about saving my life?"

Zuko glanced around the empty courtyard, then met her eyes again. "Can we not talk about it, here? This place isn't exactly secure." Katara opened her mouth to shoot him down, but Zuko persisted, his expression earnest. "Please, Katara. I know it must not be easy, but… trust me, like you used to?"

The waterbender scowled and watched him for a long moment. It occurred to her that he could have melted or cracked the ice, himself, if he needed to, but instead he was asking her to release him, to trust him. He hadn't intended to attack _her_, really…

Then, his jaw shuddered involuntarily, teeth clicking together with the cold of the ice encasing him. Katara sighed and rolled her eyes; she really had to stop feeling sorry for him.

In a single, smooth gesture, she thawed the ice and guided the water back into the fountain. Zuko rose stiffly out of the lunge he had been caught in and, looking thoroughly drained and soaked to the bone, he sheathed his swords. Then, he stared down at her.

"Thank you."

"Just shut up and tell me what's going on, okay?" The waterbender crossed her arms. She'd dry him off when she trusted him again… if that ever happened.

Looking slightly stung, Zuko scooped up the Blue Spirit mask and gestured for her to follow him.

He led her up a remarkable number of flights of stairs and down some especially long and regal hallways before opening a secret door concealed behind a wall hanging. He stood holding the door open, waiting for her to precede him, and Katara, after a drawn-out internal conflict, stepped through.

The room was fairly large, decorated with silken hangings in shades of red and gold and a few lanterns scattered along all four walls. In front of the windows, there was a row of enormous stone pots, each containing a different arrangement of large, lush plants. The only piece of actual furniture in the room was a monumental bed in the center – which, of course, faced the east-wall windows.

"Is this _your_ bedroom?" Katara tugged down the cloth that had covered her mouth and nose, then jumped slightly as the sound of the door locking cut the quiet. She peered over her shoulder at Zuko, as yet still unsure whether she should be worried.

He stood beside the closed secret door (which now looked like an unremarkable panel of wooden wall) and crossed his arms, a bit defensively. "It's the safest place I could think of."

"What's wrong with your office? Now that that tree's taken care of, it must be pretty secure."

"Apart from it reeking of smoke," he began in accusatory tone that Katara didn't care for, "my servants expect me to be here. If I do what they expect most of the time, then they're even less likely to suspect me of doing the things I've been doing." Zuko frowned. "And I liked that tree. I hope you don't expect me to thank you for making me destroy it."

"_Making_ you? I don't remember so much as suggesting the idea." Katara set her hands on her hips and raised her chin. "My day would have gone smoother, in fact, if you hadn't blasted me across the garden."

Zuko's expression was incredulous. "You thought you could threaten me and the security of the Fire Nation to my face and I would just let you… _sashay _away?"

Katara's jaw dropped. "I don't _sashay_! I stroll or walk or sometimes saunter, if I'm in the mood, but I've never sashayed in my life!"

"Well, that voice you were using was the sort of voice used by women who, from what I've seen, sashay." His eyes flicked down her body as if he had just realized that she had one. "Not that… Not that I pay a lot of attention to that sort of thing."

Suddenly very aware of the shirt that was too tight, Katara crossed her arms and decided a change of subject would be nice. "Why are you stealing from your own people, Zuko? I never thought _you_ were _that_ sort of person."

His eyes widened and he held out his open hands to either side in a pleading gesture. "I haven't been stealing."

"Then why was Aang so mad at _you_ about it?"

Zuko ran a hand over his head, shoving back his zukin and raking his fingers through the wet shag of his hair. Katara noticed it wasn't much longer than it had been the previous year, now that it was free from its topknot.

"The Avatar wants me to make a formal, legal inquiry into the embezzling and prosecute anyone implicated. I can't do that because I already know that a lot of the people involved are noblemen with a heavy stake in the government. If I legally remove them from their positions of power, it will look to my people as if I'm eliminating my political opponents – not bringing justice for the Fire Nation. After my father's rule, the people are… understandably suspicious that I'll go bad in one way or another."

Katara watched him levelly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "So, instead of pressing charges openly, you're running around in a mask, killing people? No wonder Aang doesn't approve. That's crazy."

"I don't usually _kill_ people." Zuko stared down at the mask still dangling from his hand. "Usually, I find ways to expose what people are doing or punish them for it, to let them know they're being watched. There are a lot of guards in my garrison who extort the poorer people in this city. If I catch them at it, they live, but they don't forget what happened to them."

The waterbender frowned in thought. "When you said you saved my life last night… you meant from the guards, didn't you?"

"Yes. I thought you had it figured out, until you hit me with that water whip." The firebender offered a small smile.

Katara did not return it. "You killed one of the guards."

"He'd been paid to assassinate you. I watched him accept the money, myself."

"But, the other guard? He almost died…"

Zuko's brow furrowed, then he nodded, understanding. "The man I killed stabbed him in the neck with a knife; his plan, I think, was to make it look as if the Blue Spirit had attacked, killing you and the other guard."

Katara blinked. "Wait, did… did you say someone wanted me assassinated?"

The firebender nodded.

Feeling suddenly a bit overwhelmed, Katara made her way across the room and sat down on the edge of the ridiculously large bed. "Who?" Her voice seemed tiny, a wheeze.

Zuko followed her towards the bed, watching her closely, as if afraid she might collapse. "A wealthy supporter of Azula who misses the old days of war and profiteering… There are a few of those among the Fire Nation nobility, but I'm pretty sure I know which was behind that particular attack."

Katara stared at her shoes for a long moment. Then, she looked back at Zuko. "I want to help."

His eyes widened. "What?"

"I want to help you… catch them or scare them or whatever it is that you're going to do."

Zuko sat down on the bed, leaving a full foot of empty space between them, and stared fixedly at the mask in his lap. "You don't mean that, Katara… It's not all a thrilling chase for revenge, you know? A lot of it is boring… waiting around all night to catch someone doing something wrong… and it's even worse when you _don't _catch them and some innocent person gets hurt or dies…"

Katara touched his shoulder and immediately drew back – he was still soaked. With a sigh, she bent the water off of him and into one of the potted plants by the window. He offered her a half-smile. This time, she smiled back. "I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it, Zuko. Really… you need help with this and I want to help."

He held her gaze for a moment. Then, narrowing his eyes slightly, he asked, "Why were you spying on me, anyway?"

Katara laced her fingers in her lap and shrugged. "It was an accident, at first… I was hiding from one of your creepy guards, and then…" Her tiny smile grew into a smirk that she directed sideways at the firebender. "Then, it just got fun."

"Fun," Zuko repeated, expression disbelieving.

She looked back at her hands and tried to explain. "I know it's kind of weird, but I guess a year back at the village was… really boring after all the adventures I had last summer. I mean, you wouldn't think I'd miss camping and fighting and getting hurt… but I do. I'm not even sure what I planned to do, tonight, if you hadn't immediately tried to take my head off…" Katara met Zuko's yellow eyes. "I guess I wanted to tease you a little."

She watched him swallow and raise his good eyebrow. "You wanted to tease me."

"That, or teach you a lesson…" The smirk spread again across her face.

His eyes widened a bit and his mouth opened, seemingly of its own volition. "What kind of lesson were you going to teach me?" As he spoke, Zuko turned slightly, angling his shoulders towards her. His voice had dropped a little lower and he said the words slowly and Katara felt her heart beat a little faster, like she was walking on the narrow ledge on the side of the building again.

Suddenly feeling a bit shy, she looked back at her hands in her lap. "I thought you'd gone back over to the side of caring about no one but yourself – you know, the old '_give me the Avatar!_' bit…" Katara held up her hands in scary-claw gestures and deepened her voice for the impression.

"I did _not_ sound like that. Ever." Despite his serious tone, Zuko smiled at her effort as he turned back to face forward. His yellow eyes were still on her, though he held her in a sideways gaze, now.

Katara carried on briskly. "Point being, I thought blackmailing you might scare some sense into you and, if that didn't work, I considered unmasking myself and sending you on the guilt trip of a lifetime."

They were both quiet for a long moment, until Zuko chuckled softly.

"What?" Katara cast a suspicious eye on him.

He smiled at her. "You. Harassing me for fun. I can't remember the last time I did something fun."

Katara grinned. "You mean, after all that talk about capturing the Avatar so that you could fulfill your destiny and that enormous struggle you went through in order to become Fire Lord, you aren't _enjoying_ every minute of it?"

Zuko frowned at the mask in his lap. "I never expected to enjoy every minute of it, but I thought I might get a minute to relax now and then. I work harder here than I ever could have dreamed of when I was a tea server. What you heard while you were spying on me-"

"I prefer 'overhearing' you."

"Regardless, that's what I do _all day_. On the ship, I got time every day to train, drink tea, play Pai Sho with Uncle – there were so many things I could do… but I was always in such a hurry to catch the Avatar, so that I could get back here." He sounded faintly shocked and amused, as if it was some kind of cosmic joke.

Katara's brow furrowed. "Why is there so much work for you to do? I mean, Ozai had time to nearly take over the world… It just seems as if a lot of the financial issues could be handled by your advisors."

"They could – and they will, once I straighten out the corruption and botched numbers… but that was how my father got the budget into this mess."

Zuko stood and began pacing alongside the bed, mask dangling from linked hands behind his back. "A single financier concealed over ten years' worth of exploitation and bad investments and my father never knew because he never bothered to check the numbers, himself. _I_ wouldn't even have known about it, if it hadn't been for the financial strain of ending the war and Mai's father letting slip that he was somehow still profiting."

"Is that why they're still at their summer home?"

"Sort of." Zuko stopped and tossed the mask down on the bed, then crossed his arms, scowling at the floor. "When I figured out what he was up to, I threatened to strip his title and confiscate the stolen funds. He just laughed and explained that, if I did that, it would look like I was taking vengeance on his family because his daughter had left me – which she did, shortly after we had that conversation."

Katara's jaw dropped. "But… I thought… She really seemed to…"

The firebender met her eye and frowned, looked away. "I like to think her father led her to believe that she didn't have a choice. Probably, he told her I wouldn't marry her if her family name was damaged. She cut her losses."

"That's awful, Zuko…"

He waved a hand, as if to clear the topic away. "The point is, that was this spring and I've finally managed to figure out who's been stealing and how much. Now, it's time to recollect my country's money." Zuko stopped and his eyes settled on Katara. His good eyebrow tilted up in silent apology. "So I can give your country _its_ money back."

Katara held his gaze, her expression grim. Then, she nodded and rose from the bed. "All the more reason why I should be helping you, then."

Zuko opened his mouth to protest, but he hesitated, blinked. It was funny, he thought, that she would choose red face paint to stripe across her eyes.

"Alright," he said, pulling the zukin back over his hair. "Let's go."

The waterbender's eyes bulged. "What, _now_?"

* * *

AN: Reviewers, I love you. Thank you and, also, please?


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Surprise! I kind of got back early... Also... Lemons! Double surprise! For all you cool cats who posted reviews... thank you so much! I hope this offering of lemony goodness shows the depth of my gratitude...

* * *

At nearly two in the morning, Katara crouched in an alley outside of a wine house frequented by off-duty guards. She was not entirely happy about this. Beneath her make-shift fukumen, the waterbender's mouth stretched in a silent yawn and, with a few firm blinks, she tried to shake the weariness.

Zuko had told her to wait here for his signal, then he'd climbed up the side of a building. Just like that.

That had been the better part of an hour ago, to Katara's estimation. Her legs were stiff, her back was sore, her eyes kept trying to glue shut, and now, all of a sudden, her greatest wish was to lie down on the grimy cobblestones of this alley and sleep. But, Zuko had called this a 'training exercise' and, wanting to prove that she was up to it, the waterbender went on waiting and watching the wine house's door.

Occasionally, men (with a few women scattered amongst them) came out, drunkenly patting backs or laughing louder than was decent at this hour as they staggered off into the night. Other than that, it was as boring as Zuko had said.

Only one man appeared conspicuously different, mostly due to the fact that he _arrived_ at the wine house at such a late hour. He was thin, his clothes were threadbare, and he moved with a rushed nervousness; really, it was obvious that he was not a guard, even before Katara noted his unusual behavior. Rather than staying in the wine house, he entered with one hand hovering over his right hip, then left a moment later, wringing his hands and looking forlorn.

Then, she heard it. A whisper from the rooftop above her.

"Tea house owner. Next man out."

Katara tensed. A moment later, a grinning man emerged from the wine house, glanced over his shoulder as the door shut, and began to stride down the street.

The waterbender stood, swallowed, and followed the plan.

"Slow down, Hotman…" hissed The Voice. The man stopped, arched eyebrows creeping up his forehead as he peered into the shadows of Katara's alley. She shifted, swung her weight from one leg to the other with a sway of her hips so that he could make out her darker silhouette. "You look like a big, strong man. Got a minute?"

He hesitated, eyes flicking in the direction he had been heading, but then turned fully to face her. "It depends… what do you plan to do with it?"

Katara took a couple of steps deeper into the alley, away from him. "Come and find out." The Voice purred from her mouth, fed by the excitement… and the little touch of fear in her gut.

"In the dark, eh? You must be a very bad girl…" He chuckled, sounding very much like a growling animal as he followed her into the alley.

"I just don't want to be… interrupted." Katara led him further from the street, slowly stepping back as he approached.

"You don't need to worry about being caught with me, little petal. I'm a city watchman – you're safe with me…" She could see the white gleam of his teeth as he grinned. "How old are you, girl? You sound younger in the dark…"

Katara swallowed and kept backing up slowly. They were close to the secluded spot she and Zuko had decided on, but there was no indication that the firebender was even paying attention… He hadn't gotten distracted, had he? He wouldn't leave her alone with this creep, would he? "Sixteen," she whispered. She could hear the fear seeping into her own voice.

"So young and fresh – this must be my lucky night." The watchman reached for her, but Katara easily backed out of his grasp. Growing frustrated, he fisted his hands beside his hips and stopped walking. "You're not some sort of tease, are you? Because, if you're teasing me…" He seemed huge, almost broad enough to block the entire alley.

Katara took a deep breath and reminded herself why she was there. She reached past the fear and found the anger, the confidence in herself. Zuko would be there… and even if he wasn't, she could handle this. She smirked and hissed, "Oh, rest assured; you'll get everything you deserve, tonight. It's a big job, though, so my friend wants to help."

At that moment, Zuko dropped from the low roof to the part of the alley through which they had just walked, blades ringing softly before he even hit the ground. The trapped man spun and, spotting the paler face of the Blue Spirit, realized the trap. Thinking her the easier foe, he tried to push past Katara, but she raised her rigid hands and yanked him back by the blood pounding through his veins.

He looked down at her with wide, fear-stricken eyes. "Agni! Witch! What are you doing to me?"

Hama flashed through Katara's memory, along with the sour tang of guilt; here she was, using this power to intimidate when she swore she wouldn't use it at all… But this man was no innocent victim, no poor villager trapped in a cave. This man had done terrible things and he needed to be frightened so badly that he would never transgress again.

"I'm cursing you. That's what witches do to big, strong men who push little people around. That's what happens in the Fire Nation when you _steal_." In emphasis of the final word, she flung his body against one wall of the alley.

He let out a surprised 'oof,' then crumpled to his belly on the street as Katara released him. Zuko stalked closer and waited until the man got to his knees before kicking him hard in the rear, sending him again to his belly. Then, the firebender laid a cold blade lightly against the back of the watchman's neck.

"Oh, Agni, please don't kill me!" His voice was slurred by the mashing of his face against the cobblestones.

"My friend doesn't talk much," Katara said in a light tone as she crouched near their captive's face, "but he has other ways of getting his meaning across. Right now, he's explaining that, if you don't give it back _tonight_, we will know. And then we really will kill you."

"G-Give what back? I didn't take anything from you, I swear!" His voice broke in places, sounding nearly tearful.

Katara's lip curled. "The money you took from the tea house owner. The money he paid you so that you wouldn't burn his shop. And just so we're clear; when you steal from the people of this city, you steal from _us_, too. Get it?"

Nodding frantically, the guard stammered an affirmative.

"Good. Be sure and tell your friends, too," Katara growled. Zuko sheathed his swords and nodded sharply toward the end of the alley in a 'let's go' gesture. After a brief hesitation, Katara went on speaking in her quiet, threatening voice.

"On a personal note, I suggest that you think carefully about the way you behave towards women from now on. It's very disrespectful to threaten a woman who has lost interest in you and disrespectful behavior will only cause your condition to worsen."

"My… condition?"

"Yes," Katara hissed, a smirk flavoring her words. "The curse I placed on you. You won't notice the damage at first – and if you behave yourself, you may never suffer from it at all – but one false move and… well… I'm just glad that I don't have to be around to see the mess that's left."

The waterbender rose and stepped over the trembling watchman on her way out of the alley. The Blue Spirit mask stared at her blankly as she walked past Zuko. She only shrugged.

* * *

Zuko led Katara through the shadows of the city; down one street, over a stone wall, and around a bend to circle back and watch the still-shaking guard hurry out of the alley and, with many nervous glances, off in the direction of the market district.

They tailed him in silence until he pounded on the back entrance of a tea house. It took a long moment for the owner to rouse himself and come to the door – and even then he only opened it a narrow slit – but the instant the door cracked open, the guard dropped a small sack of coins on the stoop, spun on his heel, and rushed off into the night.

The thin shop owner bent to pick up his money and, as he realized what it was, his face split into a relieved smile. He stared about him at the dark city, as if looking for someone to thank.

Doubly concealed by shadows and his mask, Zuko smiled as well. This was the best part. He glanced at Katara, to be sure that she could see as well, and was gratified to see her eyes tight with a smile concealed beneath her fukumen. A moment later, Zuko watched the shop owner go back into his home and Katara tugged his sleeve.

"Okay," she said. "That was great, but seriously, can we go to bed now?"

A hot bolt shot through him at her wording, but he recovered quickly and, with a nod, led her through the shadows at a run.

A part of him questioned the wisdom of allowing Katara to help with this. Admittedly, the waterbender could take care of herself and she could certainly hold her own when it came to this game of intimidation… and having her voice there to put his meaning so clearly made a lot of this much simpler than it had been up to now…

…but listening from the rooftop as she drew that man into the dark had been oddly... infuriating. Which made no sense, really – it had been his suggestion that she 'lure the watchman into the alley with that… sashaying voice.' Zuko knew very well what sort of reaction that would get from most men. Oh, how very well he knew…

Still, knowing what to expect, he had been surprised by his own irrational urge to drop into the alley before his cue. That was why having the waterbender around could get dangerous; one stupid urge could get them both killed.

Maybe he was just tired. Most of the problems Zuko experienced of late could be blamed on weariness, one way or another. Tonight, he would sleep. In the morning, it would all make more sense.

At last, he led her through one of the many secret doors into the palace compound, followed by a long run through the dark tunnels that twisted, labyrinthine beneath the gardens. When they reached the corridor in which she and the others were staying, Zuko pointed her way and then turned to go.

Katara caught his shoulder though and, when he looked back at her, she leaned in very close so that she could whisper where his zukin covered his ear. He could feel her breath heating the fabric. His eye twitched.

"I didn't mean to sound ungrateful… if I did. Thank you for letting me come, Zuko."

When she backed away, he stared at her for a long moment. Her eyes were shining faintly in the dim corridor and he wasn't sure, but he thought she must be smiling under her fukumen.

He wanted to kiss her. Just tear the mask down her chin and press his mouth against hers until she understood that there was no need for her to thank him. Until she could tell how happy he was that he wasn't alone anymore, that she could share this with him, this exhausting work that was all his heart seemed to beat for, anymore…

Wait… Kiss her?

With an abrupt nod, the firebender turned and rushed down the hall and up a staircase towards his room. Sleep would fix this. Tomorrow, it would make sense.

* * *

Katara snuck into the lounge with as little noise as possible, very carefully shutting the door before turning to face the dark room.

It was not empty. As she padded past the couch, Katara encountered a shock; a softly-snoring Suki curled up against Sokka's skinny, naked chest. They were mostly covered by a blanket – the waterbender thanked Yue for that much – but it was pretty obvious that the pajamas strewn about the floor were not being worn.

Gagging as silently as possible, Katara crossed the room and slipped into the bedroom that she shared… apparently with just Toph, now. Though she closed the door as softly as possible, the earthbender immediately sat up in bed.

"The Melon Lord will rise, again. Flee, mortals, or face your doom."

With that pronouncement, the girl flopped back down and resumed a low, rumbling sort of sound that should have come from a larger body… or perhaps a rockslide.

Katara blinked and went about changing, hiding her clothes, and bathing the sweat from her skin. At last, she crawled under her covers and let her body relax. As she sank into the delicious softness, a thought whisked through her mind, the sort that comes and then is washed away by the flood of sleep.

_I could do this forever._

_

* * *

_

Her fingers were on his face, on his scar, and, in this dream, he could feel them. It was like she was strumming a chord down his spine, like electricity buzzing through his skin, like she was bending the very core of him. He was getting warmer.

Zuko could never remember much of his dreams, but that was not necessarily a bad thing. This morning, though, as the sun peeked through the leaves of the enormous potted plants he had had brought in after his coronation, he wished he could remember just what about the dream had been so erotic…

…because his hand had already navigated into his sleep pants and was fisted around his hard-on when he woke. With a groan, he forced his hand away and dragged himself from his too-large bed. Then, he made the long walk to his adjoined bathroom.

Fire Lord Zuko did _not_ come on his sheets. Ever.

He closed the door and then pressed his back up against it, allowing his hands to creep up from his hips and across the leanly-muscled planes of his chest and abdomen. His fingers fluttered across the star-shaped scar on his belly and, searching for inspiration, he called up flashes of memory; Mai kissing his neck, her hands trailing where his hands were now, her hands gripping…

Zuko groaned his frustration through clenched teeth. Thinking of Mai, even the good times, still stung a lot. He searched for something else and, faster than he would ever admit to himself, thought of Katara.

And that chocolate sauce.

Immediately, his hand dove down the front of his pants and clamped hard on his rigid cock. He could see her in his mind; her café-au-lait cheeks a little pink, her eyes closed in that moment of the blissful first taste… He shoved his sleep pants low on his hips, pulling his organ free so that he could pump with the twisting strokes he preferred.

… her lips parted to allow her finger entry, then pursed slightly around the tip of the digit as she sucked and licked the last traces of chocolate away.

Zuko was breathing hard, one hand roughly working his flesh while the other grabbed at a wash towel hanging nearby. He was so close, needed just a little bit…

Then, a wholly new image invaded his mind. Katara in her disguise, standing before him just as he was, one hand in place of his own, furiously gripping his shaft, and the other pressed flat against his belly, pinning him to the door. Her blue, blue eyes quirked slightly, as if she was smiling beneath her fukumen, and she whispered against his jaw.

_Don't make me wait._

"Ah!" Zuko's head fell back and he came hard into the wash towel.

For a long moment, he could only pant and try to gather his wits. Then, he heard someone enter his room.

"Fire Lord Zuko…" Lin's voice came through the door at his back.

Zuko rubbed his face with one hand. For Agni's sake… "Yes?" He tried to keep his tone polite, but there was no concealing the strain.

Lin, of course, carried on without the slightest hint of concern. "Former General Iroh, your uncle, has just arrived from Ba Sing Se. He has expressed a wish to meet with you today, if your schedule allows it."

Zuko looked down at himself, flaccid organ still hanging over the top of his pants and bare toes almost concealed by the sagging fabric. There was something very wrong about being forced to make these kinds of decisions in this state.

"Half an hour. Set up a private breakfast. With ginseng tea."

"Yes, Fire Lord Zuko."

"And, Lin…" Zuko frowned, closed his eyes.

"Yes, Fire Lord Zuko?"

"Not in my office."

* * *

AN: Reviews are awesome, therefore those who write reviews are wellsprings of awesomeness. It is so.


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Once again, thanks so much to everyone who reviewed - all my loyal regular-reviewers as well as those who choose to review every once in a while (and make me feel so very special by doing so.) Thanks, everybody! Here, have some mega-Iroh!

* * *

"Nephew! It has been far too long!"

In the year since Zuko had last seen him, Iroh had lost much of the strength he had built up in order to escape from prison; the old man still looked very healthy, but the power had submerged deeper beneath the surface and the belly had again rounded out. Thus, when he was pulled into a tight hug, the Fire Lord could still breathe. Smiling a little, he allowed his arms to wrap around the only real family he had left.

"I agree, uncle."

They sat at a low table in an observation room that looked out on the southern garden. Sunlight was just peeking into the windows at a sharp angle, but still the room seemed bathed in light. Having dismissed all of the servants, Zuko poured the tea.

"How is the Jasmine Dragon?"

Iroh took the delicate cup into his large hands. "Business is very good – almost too good… though it seems it is no longer because of the quality of my tea." He inhaled deeply over the tiny cup, a smile spreading across his face. "Many people come to talk to one of the liberators of Ba Sing Se. Others want to meet the old Dragon of the West." His smile faded. "The work is not so enjoyable without my moody tea server around."

Zuko's eyes widened. "I hope you aren't suggesting that I come back to work for you…"

Iroh grinned. "Would it be so shameful? There is honor in humility, nephew…"

"No, uncle, it's not that. I-" Zuko peered down at the formal robes encasing him. "I can't just _leave_ my people…"

There was pride in Iroh's eyes, but also a touch of concern. "I have heard some puzzling rumors, Zuko."

Zuko picked up his own tea and inhaled the fragrant steam, closing his eyes. "What rumors are those, uncle?"

Iroh studied his nephew for a moment and then peered into his tea cup thoughtfully. "I have heard that Mai's family has decided to stay on Ember Island for the winter, due mostly to a cough that has afflicted them."

"Most unfortunate." Zuko spoke lightly into his cup.

Iroh paused, stole a glance at the younger man (who was resolutely still enjoying the scent of his tea) and then continued. "I have also heard that the new Fire Lord dismissed his predecessor's financier and privately threatened his life – which is of course a story blown out of proportion by a man angered at the loss of his career…"

"Of course."

"And, most recently, I am told that the Blue Spirit crossed the ocean and has taken up residence in the dark alleys of the Fire Nation Capitol."

Zuko tried to cover his concern by taking a sip of tea, but it was still too hot and scorched the tip of his tongue. His eyes popped open and he was forced to meet his uncle's speculative gaze.

"I had become convinced that the Blue Spirit died in Ba Sing Se."

The younger man breathed through his mouth to cool his tongue. "This is… a new incarnation."

"Ah, I see." Iroh smiled slightly and sipped his own tea – which was somehow not blisteringly hot. "I hope this one has more sense than the last, since he does not have a clever old uncle around to save him, anymore."

Zuko looked down at his cup. After a moment, he looked back at the old man, who seemed to be calmly waiting. "Why haven't you visited, uncle? I know that your shop has been busy and the journey is long, but… I thought you would at least visit."

Iroh's eyebrows rose slightly. "I did not think the new Fire Lord would want his clever old uncle hanging over his shoulder, constantly giving unnecessary advice."

"I think the new Fire Lord needs all the unnecessary advice he can get," Zuko said quietly, looking down and to the right of the table.

"Then, perhaps…" Iroh set down his cup and straightened his posture and Zuko immediately experienced an echo of memory; he was once more a child, looking up at a General. "…it is time for you to tell me just what is rumor and what is fact, Fire Lord Zuko."

Under his uncle's steady gaze, Zuko felt two ways. Firstly, he felt young. Certainly, there were memories picking at him, but there was also a sense of having flown blind for a long while without really being aware of it. Here, though, was someone who could see what Zuko could not, who he could depend on to help.

Secondly, Zuko felt proud.

Sitting up straight, in the stiff-necked posture of the ruler he was, the Fire Lord briefed his General.

* * *

Of course, once Iroh knew most of what Zuko knew, his focus was surprisingly off-topic.

"You know," he began, stroking his beard in thought, "I think Jin would marry you. She has asked about you regularly…"

Zuko covered his eyes with one hand. "Uncle! Is marriage _really_ the most important of my problems? It seems as if the tiers of corruption should be taken more seriously than some technical hiccup in the line of succession."

Iroh gazed at the ceiling. Infuriatingly, he seemed to be trying not to smile. "The Avatar has made a valid point, my nephew… Try as I might, I doubt I could produce an heir…" The old man's eyes lit up. Zuko shivered, expression contorting slightly with the suppressed horror. "…and Azula must never be allowed to take the throne. Her supporters – who are, I agree, mostly people who stand to benefit from more war and less oversight – have only to kill you to put her back in power. If you had an heir, or even a wife who might be carrying an heir, their task would be made doubly difficult."

"But a wife would notice that I sneak away at night; it would make fighting corruption head-on more difficult, as well."

"It is possible that your opponents would come to accept the change gradually and that the work of the Blue Spirit would no longer be necessary." Iroh gave a hopeful shrug and, after a moment, went on. "Also, from what I have heard, most political wives prefer to keep bedrooms separate from their husbands', in both the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom. I doubt that your nighttime activities would pose a problem."

Zuko rubbed the back of his neck, frowning at his now-cold tea. It had been so much easier to consider the issue of marriage ridiculous before Iroh gave his support. Now, the weight of dread was settling in his gut and he was coming to a disheartening realization; he could not escape this.

Iroh watched him for a long moment, an expression of concern creasing his face. "This is rarely an easy thing for a young ruler to accept, my nephew, but you must see the reason in it. Did it never occur to you that this might someday be necessary?"

"No. I never thought a day would come when I would be forced to marry someone I didn't care for. I knew that my marriage would likely be public, but I thought the question of who and when, at least, would be up to me. I…" Zuko stared at his hands, cupped upward emptily in his lap. "I always thought Mai would be there and we would just… face it together, if we had to."

Iroh nodded, then frowned thoughtfully. "Distant water cannot quench thirst, Zuko. Better instead to look for a well nearby."

The younger man snapped his eyes onto his uncle, startled by the sudden talk of water. "What?"

"Wishing that Mai was still here to help you solves nothing. You must open your mind to the opportunities around you to solve this problem." Iroh's eyes narrowed slightly, thoughtfully. Zuko recognized a sign of meddling on the horizon and decided it was time to cut this talk short.

"Uncle, it has grown late and I must meet with the delegates from Ba Sing Se, to inform them that I will consider their proposals. Will you join me with my other guests for lunch?"

The old man grinned as he rose from the floor. "Of course, nephew! It is always a pleasure to see your friends…"

* * *

Katara suspected that she was being followed.

She had heaved her weary body out of bed in time for breakfast at Toph's assurance that 'it may be my turn to feed you, but if you don't get up – and I mean right now – I'm bringing back a plate of muddy grub-worms that you can choose to either eat or wear.'

Katara, cursing the wanton cruelty of the Melon Lord, had complied. She sat through breakfast like a zombie, sipping tea and munching fruit mechanically until the sugar hit her bloodstream. After, she wandered the garden with the others and, for a while, they all lounged under a cherry-willow with its red fronds trailing in the gentle breeze.

Then, after some poorly-concealed smiles and meaningful glances, Sokka and Suki announced that they were going to 'go ask Zuko something' and raced off into the palace.

"Right. And I'm a sky bison in disguise," Toph muttered. She was lying on her back in the grass, misty eyes half-lidded.

"Don't tell Appa," Aang said, idly bending clods of dirt into the air. On his shoulder, Momo stared, enthralled, and reached for the nearest clod. "He'd probably ask you out on a date."

The earthbender grinned. "It'd never work out. All that hair, the flying, the smell… At least with you I don't have to deal with that first problem."

"Hey!" Laughing, Aang sent one of his dirt clods whirling at her, catching her squarely on top of the head.

With a shake of her head to send the dirt flying, Toph allowed her frown to stretch into a smirk. "You know this means war…"

"I think I'll go inside, now," Katara said hurriedly. "I'd hate to be caught in the cross-fire."

So that was how she came to be inside, strolling the corridors alone and watching servants scurry around with boxes and crates and enormous bolts of bright red and gold silk.

And, in all this chaos, she was pretty sure someone had begun following her.

The waterbender climbed a spiral staircase she had never been up before and paused at a window that had a good view over the palace wall and into the city below. From the sound of it, her stalker had stopped just around the bend below her. Perhaps it was another guard, bent on her subtle destruction. Turning around and uncorking her flask, just to be sure, Katara projected her angry voice down the stairwell.

"I know you're there. You may as well stop being such a creep and show yourself."

There was a moment of silence. Then, a young man, perhaps a year or two younger than her, took the last few steps up into view.

He was definitely not a guard. Rather, he was dressed in the familiar greens of the Ba Sing Se serving class. Katara thought at first that he may have come with the delegates, but then realized that she had neither seen him before, nor had she seen his particular style of dress in this palace... though she had seen it, somewhere…

He had a sheepish, awkward expression on his handsome face and a shrug already tugging on his broad shoulders.

"You're… Master Katara, right?"

"Yeah. Who are you and why have you been following me?" she demanded with a raised eyebrow. She was fairly sure that there was no threat, here, but she was still not quite ready to replace the cork in her flask.

The young man's face split into a thrilled grin and he clasped his hands in front of him and bowed in the short fashion of Ba Sing Se. "I knew it! I knew – because of the blue… It is such an honor to meet you, waterbending Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe. I'm Yoshu… from Ba Sing Se… I…"

Yoshu seemed to lose the power of speech for a moment and gazed up at her until her cheeks started to heat. At last, Katara cleared her throat. "Well, it's, um… a pleasure to meet you, too, Yoshu… Was there something in particular you wanted?"

He began grappling at his clothing a bit. Katara's brow furrowed… Maybe he wasn't well…

"I wondered if you would do me the honor… of… signing my apron?" He held the garment out, laid over his hands like a sacrifice.

Katara blinked. "I… don't have a pen…" Yoshu began looking around as if one might be hidden in some crevice of the stairs. Afraid that he might suggest she write it in his blood, Katara interrupted. "I'm sure someone can find one for us… Let's ask around."

Corking her flask, she led him up the stairs and into the next corridor and began looking for an office or someone who could direct them to what they needed. Yoshu kept up a steady monologue.

"…told my brother there was a chance I would get to meet you and he was _so_ jealous; we're both huge fans. He wanted to come too, but I told him I was lucky to get to come at all and it would really be pushing it if I asked to bring my big brother along with me – I mean I love him but he talks _all_ the time and it gets so annoying…"

Growing somewhat desperate, Katara rushed around a bend and ran face-first into a large, round belly.

"Young Master Katara! It gives my old heart such joy to see you again." Recognizing the familiar face that was currently smiling at her, the waterbender grinned.

"Iroh! I didn't know you were coming to the meetings!" Half out of affection and surprise and half out of relief that Yoshu had stopped talking, Katara flung her arms around the old firebender. "I'm so glad you're here…"

Iroh chuckled and patted her back gently, seeming pleasantly surprised. Once she released him, he held out an arm towards the young man. "I see that you have met my new tea server, Yoshu. No doubt he has already asked you to sign something of his?"

"My apron! Sir, do you have a pen?"

The old man patted his green robes over his pockets. "Sadly, I do not. He is a very big fan," Iroh whispered the last bit unsubtly behind one hand.

"Yes… yes, he's said."

Iroh held up a finger, as if with a sudden realization. "I do, now that I think of it, have a brush and ink in my luggage. Master Katara, perhaps I could tempt you to accompany us to our suite with the offer of some tea?"

"Um, sure, that sounds very nice."

"Excellent. Yoshu, if you would not mind, please run ahead and heat the water."

"Yes, sir!" And with that, the youth sped off, practically running through the hallways.

Katara and Iroh followed at a much slower pace. For a moment, they were silent. Then, the waterbender spoke.

"That's the same uniform Zuko wore when he worked in your tea shop, isn't it?"

Iroh raised an eyebrow at her, an odd twinkle in his yellow eyes. "Very observant, Master waterbender. Yes. It was Zuko's once. When Yoshu and his brother came to work for me, they did not have much of their own, so everything that had been Zuko's became theirs."

"I see." Katara nodded. "I hope you don't mind my asking, but… why did you bring him here?"

The old man frowned thoughtfully. "Unlike his brother, who was grateful for any kind of work, Yoshu did not like me at first. Not only was I Fire Nation, the people who destroyed his family, I was the very man who laid siege to his city when he was a child. He came to trust me in time, but he still distrusts the Fire Nation, as a rule. I brought him here so that he could get a new perspective… perhaps learn to like something about my people." Iroh allowed a tiny smile. "I did have to promise him that you would be here to get him on the boat, though."

Katara forced a sickly smile. "That's flattering… but also weird."

Iroh laughed, his belly bouncing along. He cast a sideways glance at her. "I am afraid that, whether you like it or not, you are a popular figure with the young men of Ba Sing Se. They call you the Princess of the Southern Water Tribe and spend their wages on scrolls depicting your likeness… though not very well." He squinted at her, smiling. "Parchment cannot capture those eyes."

Katara blushed and fought the smile that was spreading across her face. "That's silly… that they would spend their money that way… and my people don't have princesses. Not the way that the Earth Kingdom or the Fire Nation do, anyway…"

Iroh nodded agreeably, peering ahead down the hallway. "True enough. Still, it is well-known in Ba Sing Se that Master Katara has reached marriageable age and young men of every station have perked up their ears…" Startled by this, the waterbender stopped walking and stared at the old firebender. Expression mildly inquisitive, he stopped as well. "This surprises you?"

It took her a moment to find the words. At last, she sputtered, "Y- yes! How…?"

"I would imagine word traveled by the trade routes between your people and the southern regions of the Earth Kingdom. Really, it is quite amazing, since the news is only a few weeks old…" Iroh smiled, hands on his belly as he marveled at the workings of the world, "…and now, on the very ship that carried me here, I counted no less than twelve young noblemen, all driven by passion to cross an ocean, struggle through Fire Nation customs, and face the wrath of the Avatar, all for the chance to talk to you…"

Completely oblivious to Iroh's romanticism, Katara pressed one hand to her forehead and forced herself to breathe.

"…Katara? You appear to be turning green… are you alright?"

"Oh… I'm okay…" she said, her voice wobbling. "I just… hadn't really expected this, is all..."

Iroh patted her shoulder. "Now, surely this isn't that much of a shock; you have received offers already from your own people, haven't you?"

She shook her head. "It was sort of… understood amongst my people that I would marry Aang. I guess I expected the rest of the world to assume that, too."

"Ah, I see…" Iroh began guiding her down the hallway with one hand on her shoulder; she wasn't even conscious of walking until they turned a corner. "The Earth Kingdom is less partial to betrothal than the Water Tribe… In fact, most of their great stories center on forbidden love of one kind or another."

"Like Oma and Shu," Katara volunteered in a monotone.

"Just so. Thus, these noblemen have come to see if you can be tempted away from the Avatar. On the bright side, I'm sure that you can deflect almost any suitor from the Earth Kingdom by telling him that you are in love with your betrothed."

"I'm not betrothed. Aang and I aren't… together, anymore."

This time, it was Iroh who stopped walking; Katara stepped right out from under the hand that had rested on her shoulder. When she turned to look back at him, his eyes were shining oddly, as if something glorious was going on inside of his head, and his hand was still hovering in midair.

"Iroh?"

Her voice seemed to break the spell. The old man's face assumed an expression of sympathy and he lowered his hand. "That is… most unfortunate."

"It, um… it's okay, actually. We're still friends."

"Good, good. It is a sad thing when the work of the heart destroys a friendship." He began walking with her again, but stole the occasional glance at her. "When word of this gets out, I imagine the ardor of Ba Sing Se will cool a great deal… but it will not be easy for you to remain here for any length of time…"

Katara's brow furrowed and she looked at Iroh directly. "Why is that?"

"Just as the Earth Kingdom favors tales of forbidden love…" He took a breath and shrugged, gazing at the floor ahead of them as they walked. "…the Fire Nation tells stories about the mending of broken hearts. As the nobles return from their summer homes, the palace will become more and more crowded with visitors, many of whom will take quite an interest in the beautiful, abandoned lover of the Avatar."

The waterbender rolled her eyes. "And if I go back to the South Pole, I can count on being mobbed by Water Tribe men who've heard my brother talk about my fried sea prunes."

Iroh made a faint choking sound that may have been stifled laughter. Katara narrowed her eyes at him for a second and then sighed, shaking her head. The prospect of spending the coming week locked in her bedroom was beginning to look better and better…

A moment later, Iroh ushered her through a door into a moderately-sized lounge. Yoshu was glancing back and forth between the two jars of herbs in his hands, looking harried. When he noticed them, he sat up straight and set the jars aside, eyes gleaming with pride.

"Master Katara, sir, I have made you tea!" He placed a steaming ceramic pot on the round table in the center of the room and then hurried around, gathering cups and a small wooden box.

Iroh was very supportive. "Excellent work, Yoshu! And you found my calligraphy kit, as well. Very good!"

Katara sat down and nodded her thanks as the young man filled her cup with an expert's hand. "Yoshu, how did you heat this water? I don't see a fire pit in this room…"

He spoke as he poured a cup for Iroh, as well. "I earthbend. I've never been very strong, but I can create enough friction inside a ceramic pot to heat whatever is inside."

"Wow! That's really interesting. You know, I'll bet my friend Toph would love to hear all about how you do that." Katara smiled, holding her cup.

His jaw dropped. "Toph _Bei Fong_? The still-undefeated Rumble Champion? I… I would be… honored."

"I'll talk to her," Katara said, still smiling. "Are you going to sit with us?"

"Yes, Yoshu, have a seat – drink some of this fine tea that you have made…"

"Oh, I wouldn't want to… but, okay." Blushing, he sat down across the table from Katara, his apron and the calligraphy kit sitting on the table before him. He was practically vibrating with anticipation. The waterbender noticed that he was not pouring himself a cup of tea…

"Um, let me go ahead and sign your apron, Yoshu… so I won't forget." _…and also so that you'll stop looking at me like a starving arctic wolf-bear puppy._

Face splitting in his pleasure, the tea server passed the objects to her. As Katara slowly drew the characters of her name, she became convinced that he was holding his breath.

"There. All done!" She held out the apron to the young man and he immediately put it on, beaming at the sight of her name written down the front of thigh in large, chunky script.

He gazed at her and Katara found herself worrying that he might burst into tears. "I will never wash this apron again," he said.

Katara nodded and tried to form a convincing smile. Then, she tried his tea.

In his time with the group, Zuko had made some truly horrific tea; too bitter, too sour, too sweet – Zuko had done it all. The acrid sludge pouring hotly into her mouth, now, surpassed all of that. It was… evil.

Very aware that the young man was still watching her with his puppyish eyes, Katara curled up the corners of her mouth as she forced herself to swallow. "Mmm…" she said, her eyes watering slightly.

She watched from the corner of her eye as Iroh pretended to sip from his cup. When Yoshu rose, grinning at his success, to clean out the calligraphy brush, Katara hissed, "You could have warned me."

"You seemed to handle the situation very well," he returned. "Have you considered a future in diplomacy?" His eyes once more had that unnerving shine to them. Katara scowled and covertly poured the rest of her tea back into the pot.

* * *

AN: Let the meddling begin! And, yes, RabidZukoFangirl. YOU are a WELLSPRING of awesomeness, filling my day with light and joy and love-words... 3


	10. Chapter 10

AN: To my dear reviewers, much thanks!

* * *

At lunch that day, Katara sat between Iroh and Sokka and spent a large part of her time focusing on not slurping her noodles, keeping her elbows off the table, and sitting up straight.

Boys were watching her.

They weren't actually boys – they were all older than her, anyway – but they sat across the table from her, punching shoulders and quietly telling each other to 'go brick yourself'… whatever that was supposed to mean.

Katara, really, was doing her best to ignore them, but it wasn't easy to do. Only seven of the noblemen Iroh had spotted had made it through customs and into the palace thus far, but seven young Earth Kingdom men was a bunch of rowdies as far as Katara was concerned.

Earth Kingdom lordlings… Yue help her.

Zuko made an appearance at the start of lunch, but he only stayed long enough to gruffly thank his new guests for their 'interest in international cooperation' before stalking off to finish some last-minute preparations for the following day's ceremonies. A servant with a silver tray swooped past and collected the Fire Lord's bowl of noodles, then trotted off after him.

Iroh leaned just a little closer to her. "Does my nephew look poorly to you?"

Katara frowned and replied in a low voice. "No. He looks tired, but otherwise the same as always."

"Not too thin?"

"Not at all."

"Does his scar look… too prominent?"

Katara stared at Iroh for a second, but the old man only blinked innocently. "I… It's Zuko's scar. It's just… there. It always has been." When Iroh said nothing, Katara went on. "I offered to try to heal it for him, once… but that didn't work out and he's never brought it up again."

Iroh smiled. "I suspect that my nephew has come to accept that his scar is a part of him and always will be. I wonder, though, whether others can see it that way, as well."

"Master Katara," interjected one of the Earth Kingdom nobles across the table. "I was wondering if maybe you'd like to go for-?"

Katara cut him off with a scowl. "What did I say when we sat down to this meal?"

Sokka (who loved this game) leaned forward on his elbows on the table, staring the other young man down. "Yeah, what did she say?"

His eyes widened slightly and he assumed a hurt expression that probably got him everything back home. "You… you said you don't care to converse at meals… I just saw that you were talking to Former General Iroh and I thought that maybe…" He trailed off under the siblings' fierce stares. "Nevermind."

Katara nodded and finished her noodles while Sokka did his little _Water Tribe!_ hand gestures.

On her other side, Iroh was smiling. Katara asserted to herself, as she rushed out of the dining hall, that she didn't care why.

* * *

Katara spent the rest of the day hiding out in her room and catching up on the sleep she had missed the night before. When she woke up, she was tangled in her blanket and a storm head was rolling in.

She didn't need to go to the window, didn't even need to open her eyes to the dim light to know; she could feel the water coming, something thick and heavy that made her flex the muscles in her thighs and back. It made her want to run or fight… or…

It wasn't yet time for dinner, so she relaxed in her bedding, letting her hands trail over her clothed belly and breasts. She teased her nipples through her bindings and then slid her palms firmly down her belly, stretching into the sensations. Her fingers slid against the smooth flesh below her navel, slipping between her skin and the layers of her clothing.

There was no hesitation when Katara did this, no shyness. This body was _hers_.

Thighs already spread, she swirled the tip of one finger around that explosive place, what Healers called the Pearl, then delved deeper, one finger entering her slick channel, only to be followed by a second. She spread them, pressed against the boundaries of her flesh and reached deeper for that good spot, that place that made the thunder shake her.

A little rain slapped against the glass of the windows in her room. Katara's back arched.

She was thinking of those acrobats, with their gleaming, exotically pale skin stretched over muscles that rippled and snapped. She thought of their dark, sleek hair, their shining yellow eyes… their blue masks.

"Ooh…" Her fingers drove against that spot, that perfect spot and one of her legs twitched up, changing her angle.

She thought of his blue, blue mask, his swift movements – like a wild thing, so precise and fierce. She thought of his black clothing peeling back to reveal the pale skin beneath, the places she knew - the star-shaped scar on his belly, the hard terrain of his shoulders. She reached with fantasy into the places she didn't know; his hands were on her, in her, and his face brushed against her neck, the rough flesh of his scar rasped her jaw.

"Yeesss…" she hissed as the thunder cracked, making the whole room shiver.

As she came down, panting into her bedding, Katara opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling.

Thoughts battered at her, mostly reasons why this brand of fantasy wasn't such a good idea… but she closed her eyes again and let the afterglow penetrate her. Really, what harm could there be in what nobody knew about?

In that spirit, she clenched her inner muscles and started it all over again.

* * *

"Katara? Are you okay?"

The waterbender's eyes cracked open and she released a low groan of assent.

"It's time to go to dinner… You've been sleeping all afternoon – are you sure you're not sick?"

"Suki…" Katara's voice was gravely, and she barely restrained herself from saying something profane. Instead, she realized that an opportunity lay before her to avoid having to go out and face those wretched Earth Kingdom boys. "I… think you may be right. All I want to do is sleep… Maybe I'm coming down with something."

"Do you want me to find a healer?"

"No… I'll wait a while, try to sleep it off. Maybe I'll feel better tomorrow…"

"I hope so… The welcoming ceremonies are tomorrow – you don't want to miss the processions. I'll bring you something to eat after dinner... Do you need anything right now? Do you want to talk to Sokka?"

"Suki, I'm sick, not dying."

"Right," she said, grinning. "Feel better, Katara."

"Thanks, Suki."

Of course, as soon as the Kyoshi Warrior returned with a meal for her and again closed the door on her way out, Katara sat up, wolfed down the food, and began stretching her tense muscles. She had washed the sex-scent from her hands before going to sleep the second time, but, as often seemed to happen, she still caught whiffs of it.

With a huff of frustration, Katara again walked to the basin and washed with soap and water bent up in a long tendril from the pitcher. When she dried her hands and sniffed them, she smelled soap… and, underlying that, sex. She sighed, gave up; it wasn't like anyone would notice, anyway…

* * *

She knew she probably shouldn't be so impatient, but, after all of the rest she'd had, Katara couldn't wait to start the night's activities. So it was that she crept through the corridors to the secret door Zuko had taken her through the previous night. She knocked a couple of times, but got no response and, seeing the light of an approaching patrolman appear around a corner, the waterbender turned the concealed mechanism the way she had seen it done before and slipped inside.

…and was immediately faced with the sight of Zuko, crouched halfway across the room in a firebending start position. She couldn't help it. She stared.

He was wearing a towel wrapped around his hips. That was all and, somehow, his half-naked body was different now than it had been when she had watched him training Aang a year ago.

His hair was wet and the pale skin of his torso was dotted with beads of water that sparkled in the light of the lamps. The scar on his belly was just as she remembered it. His bent knees caused the towel to gap open, revealing one muscular thigh and a hard knee that was spattered with black hair.

Recognizing her, he straightened out of the bending posture and, arms at his sides, stood very straight and still.

"Ah… sorry…" She managed, finally, to look away. "There was… someone coming…"

Without speaking, Zuko grabbed a wad of black fabric from his bed and walked slowly into an adjoined room. The door shut quietly behind him. Katara shook her head and scowled at the floor. He'd obviously seen her staring… How embarrassing…

* * *

Zuko stood in his bathroom, breathing deeply and trying to think of anything but rushing back into the other room, shoving that wide-eyed waterbender's back to the closest wall, and showing her just what that searching look had done to him.

Agni… her eyes.

It had taken every ounce of composure he had to walk out of there as if nothing was wrong when his cock was quickly swelling beneath the towel, seconds from becoming unmistakable. Now, it was tenting out the cloth, enthusiastically. The firebender shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose; who was he kidding? She'd probably noticed… Springing wood just because she was looking at him… how embarrassing.

With a sigh, Zuko threw the towel aside and began climbing into his black clothes. Once he was fully dressed, he peered down at himself; there was a very obvious bulge. He closed his eyes and drew on one of his most powerful turn-offs… that image, burned forever into his mind, of Uncle Iroh in the hot springs.

Like magic, he immediately felt himself softening. A few moments later, Zuko opened the bathroom door and stepped out into his bedroom. Katara stood by his bed, clutching her hands together before her. For an instant, as he approached the bed (and thus her as well) he met her blue eyes, framed by the red of her face paint. Then, he looked away and bent to pick up his zukin from the floor where it had fallen.

"Zuko… I'm sorry for staring at you. It was rude. I understand if you're mad – I probably would be, too, if you had walked in on me and just… stared…"

He looked at her again, closer. She thought he was… mad? She must not have seen the reaction he'd had… For an instant, it crossed Zuko's mind to press the advantage, to ask just why she'd been staring, just what she'd seen that was so… fascinating.

But she broke eye contact and looked down at her fidgeting fingers. She didn't look like a lusting woman, now… she looked awkward, uncertain, and it occurred to Zuko that perhaps he had imagined the heat in her gaze. Perhaps he'd only seen it because he wanted to.

With a sigh, he rubbed the back of his head, scratching through his still-damp hair. "I'm not mad, Katara… You just… surprised me. Don't worry about it, okay?" He offered her a small smile and she, glancing up, returned it with her crinkling eyes.

He lifted the zukin to pull it over his head, but at that moment, there was a knock on his door.

Katara looked at him with her wide eyes and, when he nodded toward the bathroom, she slipped inside, easing the door mostly closed behind her.

Zuko used the door to shield his clothing from view as he opened it a crack to look out in the hallway. There, smiling pleasantly, stood Iroh.

"Nephew, do you have a moment to talk before you retire? I have had a most excellent idea…"

"Can it wait until tomorrow? This isn't really a good time…"

The old man's eyes brightened. "Oh? Do you have a guest? I thought I heard voices…"

"Uncle!" Zuko poked his scowling head out and, peering down both ends of the corridor, made sure no one was listening. His guards stood at their stations at either end of the hallway, too distant to hear their low tones. Finally, he opened the door to let Iroh enter. "Fine, we'll talk – but make it quick."

Iroh strolled into the room, his expression pleasant but his eyes trained on Zuko appraisingly. When the door was closed, he peered around the seemingly empty room. "Where is your guest?"

Zuko crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes, refusing to reply.

The old man's keen yellow eyes scanned pointedly down his nephew's black clothing. He wove his fingers together over his belly. "Such an elusive guest must make a fine accomplice… Nephew," he admonished gently, "you did not tell me the Blue Spirit had a partner again."

The Fire Lord pinched the bridge of his nose. Was it really worth the struggle of trying to hide anything from this man? "I did not want to compromise her, should she wish to remain anonymous."

"She?" Iroh's eyes widened slightly and a smile of pleasure spread across his face. Zuko fought the urge to kick himself. "Zuko! I am so glad that you have found a lady friend who shares your interests! Perhaps you should consider other problems to which she might provide a solution…"

Trying very hard to ignore the suggestive waggle of the other man's gray eyebrows, Zuko again crossed his arms and frowned. "Did you have something to tell me, uncle?"

"Ah, yes, my idea." Iroh paused in thought and then shrugged, his smile still lingering. "It can wait until tomorrow. Have an enjoyable night, nephew."

With that, Iroh strolled back out the door. A moment later, Katara poked her head out of the bathroom.

"When did _you_ ever work with a partner?"

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Jet. Ba Sing Se. Can we go now? We have important work to do."

"Okay, geeze…" Katara held up her hands as if to fend off his frustration, then planted her hands on her hips. "What are we doing tonight?"

Zuko took a deep breath and pulled the zukin over his head. Then, he dug one hand into an especially bushy potted plant and pulled out the Blue Spirit mask. "Tonight…" He pulled the mask over his face and turned back to the waterbender. "…we're breaking into a governor's house."

* * *

AN: Okay, so this is a short chapter, but it's lemony (which totally makes it count for extra...) and the next adventurey installment is underway. Remember, reviews are how you show authors that you like what they do! Or hate what they do! I do like to know when something I write is less-than-stellar... so PLEASE let me know if you're ever let down by something in particular. If I don't know about it, I can't fix it.


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Yay! Action chapter! Thanks to all of you wonderful reviewers out there! You guys all rock! Hope you enjoy this!

* * *

Katara stood beside Zuko in the shadow-filled alley behind Governor Tseng's townhouse compound in the Noble's District, waiting for all but the last light to go out. Two guards circled the building in opposite directions, crossing paths in the front and back yards. The waterbender had taken to counting out their measured pace and could predict the moment when their dark silhouettes would cross the space in the wall blocked only by an iron gate.

…_fifty-eight, fifty-nine, there you are, one, two…_

The streets were still wet from the heavy rain, and every lit lantern set a dazzling trail across the cobblestones. The air had a damp chill to it; this was, after all, the Fire Nation's first taste of fall. Unbidden, Katara thought of her homeland. The seasons turned there, as well, but not like this, not with the breaking rain and the fresh, cool breeze. She found herself taking deep breaths, tasting the water on the wind, and feeling somehow electric.

At last, the glow from the top floor window winked out, leaving only a single light on the ground level visible through the iron gate. With some final cautious glances, the two benders hustled across the street and Katara vaulted them over the stone wall with water drawn out from between the cobblestones. She brought them down into the manicured garden just as the guards were vanishing around the other side of the house and, quick and silent, they approached the lit window.

…_eighteen, nineteen…_

Inside, a man was bent over a gleaming cherry-oak desk, reading some papers. His narrow moustache emphasized the sour slant of his lips. The room was obviously an office, but it was decorated with elegant works of art, masterfully-crafted furniture, and golden artifacts. Amongst all the finery, Katara noticed an exotic potted plant on the far side of the room and her lips curled upward as a plan came to her.

When the plant began rustling its leaves together and swaying slightly, the man immediately sat up and stared.

…_twenty-seven, twenty-eight…_

After a moment, he rose and grabbed a thick roll of paper from his desk top. As he slowly approached the plant, he raised the scroll over his head, intent on swatting whatever vermin was disturbing the foliage.

The instant his back was turned, Zuko rose and used a narrow knife to unlatch the window. A moment later, they were in the room, the window closed behind them.

The man whirled around, scroll still upraised, when he heard the curtains being drawn. Katara crossed her arms and Zuko came to stand just behind her.

"Governor Tseng…" Katara hissed, "…you've been a very bad public servant. It's time to make amends."

His mouth opened and he dropped the roll of paper. It fell behind him with a light rasping sound.

"Who- who are you people?" The fear in his eyes receded and was surpassed by outrage. "What are you doing in my house?"

Katara tutted softly, shaking her head. Behind her, she could hear the Dao swords slowly coming out. "My friend doesn't like your tone."

The Governor swallowed visibly and took a step back.

"Struggling is not advisable. We only want to talk. For now." Katara slowly walked behind the desk and sat down in his creaking chair. With a soft _thump_, she propped her muddy boots up on the edge of his paper-strewn workspace. She waved a hand at his visitor's chair. "Have a seat."

Hesitantly, and with more than a few glances at the Blue Spirit, Tseng did as she said. He leveled a suspicious eye on her, lip curling slightly at the placement of her boots.

"Your district, the Spark Islands, houses more poverty than any other part of the Fire Nation, according to the most recent surveys. You are aware of this, aren't you?"

He sneered at her, moustache twisting unpleasantly. "You broke into my home and threatened my life to quiz me on current events?"

"Oh, Governor… we haven't even _begun_ to threaten your life." Katara narrowed her eyes. Standing at her side, Zuko held up a blade, peering along its length as if to make sure that it was straight. "As of yet, we're just two individuals concerned about your district. If you cooperate with us, that's all we'll be. If you don't..." Her head jerked towards the imposing shape of the Blue Spirit. "My friend has a reputation… I'm sure you've heard things."

Tseng narrowed his eyes at the blue mask, expression somewhat calculating. "I had understood the Blue Spirit to be a political activist who spent his time roughing up the city guard. You, though…" He arched an eyebrow and turned his yellow gaze on Katara, "I have never heard it mentioned that the Blue Spirit had a… red companion. Who are you?"

The waterbender's brow furrowed. She scraped her boots off of the desk and leaned forward on crossed forearms. "_I_," she snarled, "am the one asking the questions and _I _am getting sick of you stalling. That's who I am. Now, are you or aren't you aware of the state of your district?"

He steepled his fingers before him, elbows on the armrests of the visitor's chair. "Of course I am."

"Good. Since you're such a _clever_ man, perhaps you can explain to me exactly why the people of the Spark Islands are struggling?"

He quirked an eyebrow and his lip curled with disdain for the question, but he replied. "The top employer on Great Spark Island was a factory that made parts for warships. The war ended. The factory closed. People lost their jobs and became poor. Because the largest buyer of goods produced on the Lesser Spark Islands _was_ Great Spark Island, poverty spread throughout the region. The end."

"I see." Katara nodded slowly, looking down at his desktop for a second before snapping her eyes back onto him. "And what about the annual diversification grants?"

For the first time since taking his seat, Tseng's eyes widened in something like alarm. "The… what?"

"Every year for eight years now, you have filed with the Head Financier's Office for a grant to, and I quote, 'diversify employment options within the Spark Islands district.' Every year, you received fifty _thousand_ Fire Nation gold marks to this end, and _yet_…" Katara released a mirthless laugh, slapping the edge of the desk as she leaned back. Tseng jumped slightly at the sharp noise. "…the people of Great Spark Island had nowhere to work when the factory closed. Why _is_ that?"

"I… I'm not sure what you're implying, but I assure you that-"

"No," Katara growled, shooting to her feet to loom over the desk towards him. "_I_ assure _you_ that, if four-hundred thousand Fire Nation gold marks do _not_ go into the restoration of your district in the coming month, we will be back. Then, this nice desk, those lovely paintings, this…" She waved an arm around at the lavishly decorated office. "…_fine_ townhouse that you stay in while your people starve… we'll bring it all down around you – I swear it on my life."

Katara straightened, glaring at the wide-eyed Governor. "If you should survive, you could return to your estate on Great Spark Island – which, I hear, has sat empty since the factory closed. I'm sure your people would _welcome_ you back with open arms…"

Tseng sat silent for a moment longer, mouth hanging slightly open. At last, he managed speech. "Four-hundred thousand… in a- a _month_? Surely, you can't be serious! I- I don't _have_ that kind of money! I can't just-"

"You may not have it, _now_, but you _had_ it. Try retracing your steps." Katara turned an eye to Zuko, who sheathed his swords in a flash and turned to peek between the curtains.

Governor Tseng rose from the visitor's chair, hands fisting at his sides. "This… this is extortion!"

"Actually…" Katara raised her hands in the spidery style of bloodbending. Jerkily, Tseng sat back down, his face stretching with fresh terror. "…this is called justice," she hissed.

Then, Zuko tapped her shoulder and she followed him out the window and into the drizzling night.

* * *

"That felt _so_ good," Katara panted in his ear.

They were crouching close together in the shadows of a bronze monument two blocks away from the Governor's house, waiting for a patrol of royal soldiers to leave the courtyard. Used to the thicker shadows of the poorer districts, Zuko hadn't seen them coming and had led her half-way across the open space before hearing the clank of their armor. It was just lucky, he supposed, that the monument, honoring the lives lost in the hundred-year war, had been erected just a few months ago…

…speaking of erections…

Her breath was hot on his zukin and the groaning quality of her voice – not to mention her choice of words – made the seriousness of their position seem to fade. Then, there was the fact that her thigh was pressed fully against his, her hand rested on his shoulder, her forearm stretched down his back, and he thought he could feel her breast brushing very lightly against his bicep. His heart had already been beating fast from the running, but now his blood was surging into new pursuits… mainly pressed hot and hard against his inner thigh.

"Do you think we could… do it again? Tonight, I mean?"

Zuko swallowed. Was she teasing him? How could she _not_ know how that sounded?

Turning his head, he peered at her through the eyeholes of the Blue Spirit mask. Her eyes were shining, somehow catching lamplight from across the courtyard. She seemed full of an intense energy… was it really just the thrill of threatening Tseng that wound her this tight or was there something else going on, here?

With a tiny, well-hidden smirk, Zuko decided that, if nothing else, at least turnabout was fair play.

He craned his neck to put his mouth close to her ear, grinding his thigh against hers as he shifted. Lifting the mask just enough to uncover his lips, he breathed against the fabric covering her ear, his voice barely more than a rumble from his chest.

"Much as I'd love to watch you work all night long…" Hearing her huff softly, he smirked again. "…I'm exhausted. Because, unlike some people, I didn't get to play sick at dinner."

"Hey. I _was_ sick," she returned, pressing her cloth-covered cheek hard against his bare one and gripping his chin to keep his head close. "Sick of trying to subtly tell a bunch of earth nobles to go brick themselves."

Zuko snickered softly. "Yeah, subtle isn't really an Earth Kingdom thing…" He trailed off, catching an odd, familiar, intoxicating scent. He knew what that was… but it was mixed with smells of wet bronze and fresh rain and… Katara's hair… He could smell her herbal shampoo through the cloth of her zukin. He swallowed. She smelled so… _good_. His erection throbbed against his thigh.

"Uh, I think they're gone…" Her whisper was a little more breathless than it should have been. Her fingers were still on his jaw, but the pressure was light, almost hesitant. Realizing a shift in tone, Zuko returned to himself. "Shouldn't we… go?"

She sounded genuinely uncomfortable. Though he managed to restrain his sigh of frustration, the firebender couldn't resist a parting shot.

"Yeah. Time for bed." He pulled away and resettled the mask back over his face, then double checked the courtyard before darting down another street.

* * *

Before following him, Katara leaned against the monument, pulling in a few deep breaths. She hadn't exactly meant to do it… At first, it had just felt so good to be that close to him, to smell the clean scent of his skin through his clothing and feel the heat radiating from his back and thigh, and she had just found herself pushing closer and closer…

…and then he pushed back.

It hadn't even been that, really, that made her back down. In fact, she had pressed forward to meet him, rubbing her face against his through her fukumen and savoring the close contact. No, what made her stop and think was what she felt when she touched his face with her bare fingers. The water in his blood had called to her, had whispered things to her rain-addled brain, and she'd listened, tracked it through his flesh…

Katara was inexperienced, but she was no naïve kid; she was a healer. She knew how bodies worked. She knew what happened, in theory, when men became aroused.

…and Zuko had been very aroused.

The reality of it had snapped her out of the rain-fueled lust and she'd realized that she was pressed up against a boy on a public street while they were supposed to be hiding from guards. The fact that that boy was _Zuko_ added a whole other layer to the dilemma.

As did the fact that Zuko seemed to _enjoy_ pressing up against her in public while hiding from guards.

If she hadn't sensed his reaction, she might have been tempted to believe that he was just teasing her, perhaps with the intent of showing her how all of her closeness might be interpreted. With a sigh and a resolution to think hard about all of this later, Katara roused herself and hurried to catch up.

* * *

The next morning, Katara was very glad that Zuko had refused to go on another mission; without those extra hours of sleep, she might have drifted off during the full three hours taken up by diplomatic processions.

And, as Suki had said, she hadn't wanted to miss them.

She stood amongst the crowd of Fire Nation nobility and other honored guests lining the high end of the Royal Plaza and watched what amounted to an army of diplomats march up from the harbor. It was truly magnificent to behold, but Katara couldn't help remembering the invasion, more than a year ago, on the Day of Black Sun. She wondered how the people of the Capital felt about standing out to welcome these peoples who had, only a year ago, sought to take over their city.

Apparently, not too bad.

At the low end of the Plaza, the poor had crowded together along both sides of the wide avenue and, as the processions began, they cheered loud enough to be heard where Katara stood, which was quite a distance away.

First to come was the smiling Earth King, riding high in a palanquin that proudly bore the standard of Ba Sing Se. He was, of course, accompanied by Bosco the Bear, who was wearing his best hat. The palanquin (the bearers of which looked somewhat strained by the time they reached the end of the Plaza) was followed by row after row of diplomats, nobles, and attendants. Amongst them were standard bearers who carried the tall banners depicting the symbols of each noble house of Ba Sing Se and its surrounding territories; Katara had never seen so many shades of green.

Next came King Bumi, who hobbled up the Plaza in his violently purple robes, waving, grinning, and cackling. He was followed by the remarkably straight-faced dignitaries of Omashu who never broke rank despite their king's erratic pace. To Katara's amusement, she realized that King Bumi stopped his procession every time he spotted a child in the crowd and, with a wink and a clap, bent a stone toy out of the very ground.

After Omashu came the small but stately procession of the Northern Water Tribe, led by Chief Arnook and his council. By the time they reached the end of the Plaza, they all looked uncomfortably warm in the white fur of formal dress.

A bit of enthusiasm reentered the cheering when the Southern Water Tribe passed. Hakoda led the procession, striding with his head held high and his shoulders back… and dressed in the lighter layers he knew to be necessary in the Fire Nation climate. Katara's throat tightened in pride for her father. Shortly behind him came Bato and Pakku and the other members of the newly-formed Southern council.

Then – Katara's eyes widened – came some familiar but unexpected faces. Two delegates from the Foggy Swamp Tribe. Tall, lanky Tho and portly Due traipsed along at the end of the line, waving emphatically at the people of the Fire Nation.

At the head of the Royal Plaza, the Fire Lord stood in the open gate to his palace, tall and imposing in the broad-shouldered mantle of his station. To his right stood Iroh, who had reunited with the color red just for this occasion and looked on with an expression of pride. Katara was located off to Zuko's left, near the front. Between them stood a number of people, including Aang, who watched the proceedings with near-giddy interest and nodded his own silent greeting to everyone he knew.

As each group reached him, Zuko welcomed their leader into his land as an equal. The Earth King came down from his palanquin to stand on level footing with his host in a show of good form. King Bumi had seemed to teeter on the brink of snorting out in laughter, but had managed to return the greeting with admirable dignity. Chief Arnook was suitably polite, but lacked enthusiasm… Katara wasn't sure she blamed him – the man was probably on the brink of a heat stroke.

When her father stood before Zuko, Katara strained her ears and was grateful that she was close enough to make out what was being said.

"The Fire Nation is greatly honored to receive you and your people, Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe."

"The Southern Water Tribe is equally honored by your nation's hospitality, Fire Lord Zuko." Hakoda's solemn face split into a half-smile after he returned the formal Fire Nation gesture of greeting. "…which, I have to say, has improved a great deal since my last visit."

Zuko's eyes widened for an instant before returning to the mild expression he had held thus far throughout the welcoming ceremony. "My uncle would say that peace makes better hosts and better guests of us all."

"And what do you say, Fire Lord?" Katara stared. Her father was holding out a hand in the Southern Water Tribe greeting customary between allies. Here, in front of all of these witnesses, he was challenging Zuko's commitment to respect the ways of their people.

Zuko's eyes flicked down to the other man's hand – did he even know what it meant? – then again met Hakoda's gaze. "This improvement you speak of…" He held out a hand in a mimicking gesture, though it was clear that he did not know what to do with it. "I am glad that you have noticed."

Hakoda grinned and gripped the Fire Lord's forearm, a motion that Zuko immediately imitated.

Katara sighed her relief and turned to mutter something to Sokka (who had been stuck to her side like a barnacle all day) only to discover that he had wandered off and, now, three of her Earth Kingdom suitors were standing behind her, all trying to act casual. She turned back to face forward, scowling.

Really, did _anyone_ from the Earth Kingdom check their nails for dirt when they _weren't_ trying to look casual?

* * *

AN: Ta dah!


	12. Chapter 12

AN: Hurrah! Thank you so much, everybody who reviewed! I just noticed that there are over fifty people on this story's alert list... which is *so* awesome... :) Thanks!

* * *

"Beautiful Princess of the Southern Water Tribe, please accept this token of my affection…"

"…It's a rock."

The Earth Kingdom nobleman's dark brow furrowed as if to ask why that should be a problem. He looked down at the lumpy stone in his hands. "It… it's a geode, Master Katara… I brought it all the way from my homeland in Ko Chi Sa, just for you! It's filled with crystals that sparkle like the ice of the South Pole… Please, take it!"

At a loss, the waterbender accepted the _rock_, which was the size of a small melon. It dragged heavily at her hands, so she was forced to cradle it against her belly to keep from dropping it. "Well, um… thanks."

The young man's bottom lip caught between his teeth and his green eyes sparkled with pleasure. "Oh, the only thanks I ask is that you keep my token close and think of Og Laf…"

"Who?"

"That… that's me."

"Right…" Katara hefted the rock a little higher and glanced down the corridor in the direction she'd been walking when this guy caught up to her. "I, uh… I have to go, now…" She turned on her heel and made a break for it.

As the waterbender wove between servants delivering food and luggage to the rooms of guests, she kept a more watchful eye out for crazies. It was as if half of the men who had arrived from Ba Sing Se – and a fair number from Omashu, as well – had brought some gift or offering or… something to beg that she sign. The lumpy, reddish rock in her hands was not the first stone she had received since the welcoming ceremony… it was, however, the biggest.

At last, she reached the suite set aside for the delegation from the Southern Water Tribe and, half-supporting the rock with her leg, managed to open the door…

…only to find Yoshu pouring tea for her father and Iroh, who sat on the floor around a low table.

"Katara!" Hakoda rose and strode around the table to greet her, but stopped when he noticed her odd burden. "What… is that a rock?"

"It is a token from Og Laf of Ko Chi Sa." With a grunt, Katara squatted and set said rock down near the door. Then, she faced her father and drily continued. "Supposedly, it's full of pretty crystals."

"Oh, how thoughtful!" Iroh interjected. Yoshu gusted out the woeful sigh of an unprepared suitor.

Hakoda glanced back at the old firebender, then blinked at his daughter. Knowing that he was about to ask a question that she couldn't easily answer, Katara smiled, hugged him, and beat him to it. "How was your trip, Dad?"

His hands were big on her back and then on her shoulders as he smiled down at her. "It was good. Long, though. If only we could all be so lucky as to travel by bison…" His expression grew concerned. "Katara, I heard that it didn't work out with Aang. Are… are you alright?"

Shooting a sideways glance at Iroh (who was examining his tea cup in far greater detail than was necessary for such plain porcelain) Katara sighed. "Yeah, Dad. Everything's fine."

"Good." Hakoda gave her a final pat on the shoulder and then released her. "You should join us! Former General Iroh was just asking about our plans regarding trade routes with the Fire Nation…"

It was one of those long, drawn-out discussions involving logistics that Katara could have done without sitting through, but which seemed to have some kind of suggestive undercurrent that she was not quite hearing. She may have grown bored and left despite the mystery, but Yoshu set out a tray of spring rolls filled with some kind of spicy meat and, having missed lunch (she was receiving a piece of rose quartz at that time,) Katara stayed put until they were gone.

"A solid union," Iroh was saying, peering earnestly at her father with his yellow eyes, "between the Fire Nation and the Southern Water Tribe would go a very long way toward a return to prosperity for your people and a reclamation of honor for mine."

Hakoda was nodding slowly, hands on his thighs in his usual posture of strategy. "You make a convincing case, Former General Iroh…"

"Please, call me Iroh." His smile tugged at the short jags of his beard. "I have not been a general for many years, now."

"Very well, Iroh. I like the idea… but you must understand that I am not the only one who has a say. I will talk it over with my council and we will approach meetings with the Fire Lord with a decision in mind." He turned his gaze to Katara, who was sipping her tea… which must have been made by Iroh, because it tasted like tea… "What do you think, Katara?"

Though not entirely surprised that he would ask – Hakoda always asked the opinions of the rest of the tribe – the waterbender hadn't really been paying a great deal of attention since the arrival of the food. "Oh… I think we should go for it. The way our tribe is growing, it's important that we keep relations healthy with other countries – and there's really no losing when it comes to honest, fair trade. Not to mention," she added, brow furrowing thoughtfully, "the current popularity of the Southern Water Tribe here in the Fire Nation would probably lead to high demand for anything we produce."

She looked up to find her father looking at her with his head slightly tilted to one side and his brow furrowed. Iroh, on the other hand, was beaming. "Very good points," Hakoda acknowledged, at last. He peered down at the half-empty cup of tea that sat on the table before him. "With such increased trade, it may become necessary to keep a permanent ambassador here, in the Fire Nation Capital. Would you be interested in holding that position, Katara?"

Her jaw dropped. Even Iroh's eyebrow's shot up, though his smile did not diminish. "Dad, I'm not sure that I'm qualified for something like that – I hardly even know what an ambassador does…"

"The Southern Water Tribe has never actually had one, to my knowledge. All you would be required to do is ensure fair treatment for Southern Water Tribe traders and, if a problem comes up, let me know about it."

"And," Iroh put in, "work closely with Fire Lord Zuko in matters of international cooperation."

Hakoda cast a narrow-eyed gaze at the firebender, who only shrugged.

Katara looked from one man to the other. "I don't understand… why would it be me? Where did this idea even _come _from?"

Her father's blue eyes turned back to her and he smiled, pride shining there. "Katara, you are smart about politics and people, when you're paying attention – you just demonstrated that to us with your opinion on trade relations. You are also a renowned hero of the war and would make a likeable public figure. Perhaps you didn't know it, but the reason that the Fire Nation is suddenly so fond of the Southern Water Tribe is because that is what _you_ are." By now Katara's cheeks were heating. She fidgeted with one of her beaded locks.

Hakoda went on, his voice a little sad, now. "All of that… and you are my daughter – a chief's daughter – whose betrothal has ended. I… do not want my bright, brave daughter to be pursued by young men from our sister tribe who think of her love as a political tool."

"Dad…" Katara stared at her father, wide-eyed.

He went on. "That is why, if there is to be an ambassador, I wish to put your name forward. Would you choose this?"

The waterbender blinked a few times, her gaze falling to the table top. Would she? Could she choose to leave her homeland, her people?

No, not her people. She would still serve her people, just in a different capacity. No longer Chief's Daughter and Healer Katara, Sea Prune Fryer Extraordinaire, but Ambassador Katara… She would ensure justice for her people in a land they did not know. She would become a permanent resident of this city.

That thought stopped her. A permanent resident of this land of hot summers and wild rainstorms…

…and the Blue Spirit.

She swallowed. "Yes." Almost surprised at the certainty of her answer, she met her father's eyes and beamed. "Dad… Thank you. I would be honored to serve the Southern Water Tribe in this."

Hakoda returned her smile and, once again, there was pride there. Katara almost didn't notice Iroh weaving his fingers together over his belly.

* * *

That night, there was a feast in honor of the Fire Lord's new guests. Katara arrived late, due to a fruitless, afternoon-long hunt for Sokka. She hadn't seen him since the procession and, while his absence ordinarily wouldn't bother her, she'd noticed that she was statistically less likely to have to accept a rock of affection if he was within earshot.

That, and her father had asked her to find her brother as her first act as Ambassador-Nominee. It was kind of silly, but Katara had missed her father and was willing to humor him at the moment.

Except that Sokka was nowhere to be found. As was Suki… which made Katara less eager to find either one of them, somehow.

In the hustle of searching for her errant sibling, it was really no wonder that she lost track of the time. It was also unsurprising that she forgot that tonight was a special night as dinners at the Royal Palace went. So, when she strolled into the dining hall and came upon three tables the length of the room, all filled with delegates from all over the world, who were all dressed in their finest dining apparel, she should not have been so terribly surprised.

Yet, standing in the doorway with half the room staring at her, clad in her simple tribal blues and slightly-mussed hair, Katara was still pretty surprised.

A pair of servants rushed her to an empty seat and quickly armed her with a bowl of soup that everyone else seemed to be finishing.

"Are you…? No…" The woman beside her, a noble with perfectly tidy black hair and eyes the color of fresh leaves looked at her speculatively. Her dress was fine, green silk in the traditional high-necked cut of Ba Sing Se. "You aren't Master Katara, are you?"

Katara hesitated for a moment, then frowned and submerged her spoon below the surface of her soup. "No… I met her once, though."

"Fascinating," she replied in a tone that indicated that it was anything but. "I've heard rumors that she's terribly rude."

"Oh, they're all true," Katara whispered before leaning over her soup. "I heard her tell a very nice-looking young man to go brick himself just the other day…"

"Oh! Such language! It's no wonder the Avatar chose to leave her for a nice, decent Earth Kingdom girl."

The waterbender coughed quietly, choking on her soup in an effort to not laugh. Toph, nice girl… right.

"Are you quite alright? I'm sure it's this Fire Nation food. It all has so much pepper in it." She delicately shifted her spoon in her own half-full bowl. "Honestly, I'd almost rather _not_ be Fire Lady if I'll have to eat this for the rest of my life…"

Finally beating back the tickle in her throat, Katara turned to stare at the noblewoman. "You want to marry the Fire Lord?"

Peering through her eyelashes, she smirked prettily, as if the question had to be a joke. "And you want me to believe that you…" Her eyes flicked down to the simple, tribal garb. "…just aren't interested?"

Shrugging and choosing to ignore that little barb, the waterbender looked back at her soup. "Well, he isn't… _unattractive_ or anything, but… I can't say that I would just marry him."

The noblewoman gazed at her with a broad, lovely smile for a moment and then unleashed a giggle that made Katara's skin crawl… not that it wasn't a pretty sound… just, somehow loaded with malice. "Oh, you're a terrible tease! You are joking, aren't you?"

"About what?"

She stopped laughing and began staring, then whispering, an unkind quirk to her lips. "'Not unattractive?' You _have_ seen his face, haven't you? Half of it looks as if it's been blasted off!"

Katara stared at her for a beat. "That's because it _was_ blasted off."

Waving a dismissive hand, the noblewoman turned back to peer down her nose at her soup. "Well, he's lucky he has his position. Otherwise, I doubt anyone would marry him at all." Her beautiful green eyes flicked back to the water tribe girl. "…unless someone felt bad enough for him to close her eyes at night."

Sure that the outrage was clear on her face, Katara sat rigidly in her chair, staring down into her soup bowl as if it might contain restraint.

…which, of course, it didn't.

The noblewoman leaned forward on the table, peering past Katara. "I wonder if he likes blindfolds…"

"Oh no… your soup's spilled…" All it took was a tiny tug on the broth and the delicate bowl tipped forward, dumping its contents down the woman's front and into her lap.

"My dress!" Servants came as if by psychic call, dabbing with towels and clearing away the mess. Several people down the table looked up, remarked on the identity of the shameful soup-spiller, then went back to their own conversations. The noblewoman bore it all with strained dignity and, back rigid, waited as the attendants fluttered around her.

Seeming to take the disruption as a perfect opportunity, servants began carrying away soup dishes and returning with plates of delicate fish and some kind of tuber diced and cooked with peanuts.

Katara was by this time feeling pretty good about herself and the world at large. The fish was delectable, the tubers were crispy, and the peanut-flavored sauce was thrillingly spicy. She'd dispensed a little justice and gotten away with it. She was… what had Governor Tseng called her? Ah, the Red Companion, striking fear into the hearts of evil-doers and cruel courtesans everywhere…

"I know you did that, you dreadful little ice rat."

At the hissed accusation, Katara cast a sideways glance at the noblewoman. The way her lips were pinching together was decidedly not pretty. "Did what?"

"Don't act as stupid as you look. It's rather unflattering." With a long, elegant hand, she impaled a tuber on the end of one chop stick. "You know, some cultures call these earth-apples because they retain so many minerals from the soil in which they grow…"

Katara turned to look fully into the other woman's sparkling green eyes. Thus, she noticed when one long, elegant hand made a controlled twitch.

One of the tiny cubes of tuber hurled off of her plate and smacked Katara in the temple with surprising force before falling to the tablecloth. Glancing at the offending lump, then back at the earthbender, Katara narrowed her eyes.

Beautiful green eyes narrowed right back at her.

It was the sort of subtle warfare that most people don't notice until it reaches a fever pitch. Katara tried to remain calm, but, with chunks of food flying off of her plate and into her face, it was not an easy thing to do. Her options for payback were limited; it would look fairly suspicious if the same person spilled something water-based twice inside ten minutes. So, she returned the noblewoman's glare, biding her time.

After perhaps the seventh tuber-assault, Katara sensed her opportunity. She turned back to her plate, dabbed the peanut sauce from her face with her napkin, and then, with a subtle hand gesture, tugged the pitcher in the hands of a passing waiter. He stumbled and the contents of the vessel in his hands, half a gallon of chilled wine, splashed over both Katara and the unfortunate noblewoman, the latter of which emitted a shriek that startled the entire dining hall.

"Why you… you wretched waterbending peasant!" she snarled, shooting to her feet.

Katara spoke a bit louder as she rose, her tone calm and even a bit amused. "Oh, now, it was just an accident…" She looked at the wide-eyed servant, who was staring from the pitcher to the two wine-drenched women. "Right?"

"I- I… It just… slipped!"

"See?" Katara held out a dripping arm toward the young man, a smile flashing across her face. "It slipped."

The noblewoman was quivering with fury. Her mouth kept twitching, as if she was about to say some awful thing to surpass all other awful things, but she did not speak.

"Well, I think I'll go… wring myself out, if you'll all excuse me." There were a few chuckles scattered through the watching diners and Katara, feet squishing inside of her shoes, strode out of the room, head held high.

She bent the wine off of her clothes while walking, but she still didn't get far before the angry earthbender caught up - just far enough that, when the noblewoman entered the other end of the corridor, she wasn't concerned about keeping her voice down.

"You! Get back here, peasant! I haven't finished with you, yet!"

Katara came to a stop, sighed, and turned around with a scowl set on her face. Better to finish this sooner rather than later.

The noblewoman, fine dress stained darkly in blotches, stalked down the corridor towards her. Her lip curled upward, revealing her dainty white teeth. "How _dare_ you-?"

"I had hoped to ask much the same question."

Katara swallowed. The noblewoman jumped, her posture switching instantly from predatory to demure.

"Fire Lord Zuko!"

Indeed, Zuko strode closer, then stood with arms crossed over his chest. He looked imperious in the formal robes with his solitary eyebrow angrily slanted down. His yellow eyes jumped from Katara to the noblewoman, then settled on Katara.

"How dare you use bending against each other at the very dinner that celebrates the coming together of our nations? What were you thinking?"

* * *

AN: Oh, big trouble. It's coming.


	13. Chapter 13

AN: Holy cow, folks - fifteen reviews? I almost giggled myself to death - awful way to go. Thank you so much, everybody! Reading your reviews always makes me happy in a deep, inspired-to-go-write-some-more kind of way. Here's the dramatic continuation! Hope you like it plenty good!

* * *

"How dare you use bending against each other at the very dinner that celebrates the coming together of our nations? What were you thinking?"

Katara, not meeting those furious yellow eyes, took a moment to think about how to answer this question…

The noble, however, seemed to spy an opportunity. When she spoke, her voice was low with respect and her dazzling green eyes were cast towards the floor. "Fire Lord, please… I wasn't actually bending-"

Zuko's fierce gaze snapped to her. "Don't lie to me when I watched you with my own eyes. First it was the soup, then the entre, then the wine. I _saw_ what happened. What I want to know is what in Agni's name possessed two civilized women to behave like children. Can either of you explain this?"

Katara cast a sideways glance at the earthbender, who was still playing the shocked innocent and gave no indication of breaking character. With a deep breath, she straightened up and met Zuko's stare. "We had a bit of a misunderstanding… She said something that offended me and I lost my temper. It shouldn't have happened – I'm sorry for my lack of self-control, Fire Lord."

Zuko held her gaze, unblinking. "What did she say to you that was so offensive?"

"Um…" The waterbender hesitated. She glanced downward and bit her lip, not sure that she could remember the exact words, now that the heat of the moment had passed.

The Fire Lord's focus shifted to the other woman, who flinched. "You seem to have a talent for offending people, Lady Lo Kang. While we're on the subject, your public reference – at my table, no less –to one of my guests as a 'peasant' has greatly dishonored me. Not only that, but I imagine that you've offended the Southern Water Tribe by so insulting the daughter of Chief Hakoda and, by behaving so poorly at this meeting of peace, you have dishonored my country as a host." Her green eyes grew wider as the list lengthened. "To make amends for the insult to me and the Fire Nation, you will consult the Fire Sages. You should also apologize to Katara and her tribe." He gestured to the blue-clad woman with one hand.

At the mention of Katara's name, those leaf-colored eyes widened to a final degree before snapping to the waterbender in question. It took her a moment to screw up the will to do it, but when she spoke, her voice was tiny and delicate. "I apologize, Master Katara, for any insult I may have caused you or your people. Your conduct confused me and I did not realize who you were… Why did you deny your identity?"

Meeting her gaze, Katara thought she could see some disdain behind the genuine bewilderment, but decided to at least _try_ to be civil. "I'm sorry for lying; I've been receiving rocks from the noblemen of Ba Sing Se all day and, when you asked, I saw an opportunity to avoid spending dinner listening to a sales pitch about your brother or cousin."

"I see." Lady Lo Kang crossed her arms over her ruined dress. "It may have been simpler for both of us if you had just explained that your interests lie…" Her eyes flicked to the still-frowning Fire Lord, who was watching them both closely. "…elsewhere."

Katara's eyes widened. Zuko's narrowed. Incensed, the waterbender frowned and spoke in a clipped tone. "Our… _altercation_ had a great deal less to do with my interests than with my loyalties. You insulted my _friend_, which is worse in my eyes than some petty name-calling, public or not."

"How was I to know that you _cared so much_ about your _friend_?" Her posture was superior, haughty; her tone was aloof. "As I recall, we were discussing a candidate for political marriage. You, with your big blue eyes and your quaint clothing, seemed so naïve about the whole process – I wanted only to make you aware of the reality of the situation."

Katara's jaw dropped. "By implying that- …_my friend_ is worth nothing without his political position?"

"In a political marriage, position is all that matters, Master Katara. There is no point in glossing over the _ugly_ _facts_ of things."

"I don't recall glossing over anything, at all!"

Two finely-arched eyebrows rose slightly. "Don't you? You have no memory of referring to a noticeably damaged appearance as 'not unattractive?' Pretending that something unacceptable may be accepted is not-"

"You were the one who wondered whether he liked blindfolds!"

"Not having to look at something is different from pretending as if it doesn't matter."

"His scar _does_ matter," Katara snarled. The noblewoman immediately closed her mouth into a tiny, satisfied line, but the waterbender couldn't see it through her fury. "It matters because he's brave and anyone can see it just by looking at him. Wishing that his scar wasn't there is like wishing that half of who he is was gone!" Her hands, at her sides, curled into fists. "And _that's_ not acceptable, not in an ally and _certainly_ not in the future Fire Lady! I would humiliate myself all over again to be sure that a manipulative hog-viper like you never gets that chance!"

Silence reigned. Katara, chest heaving as she calmed down, finally noticed the other woman's smug expression. Remembering now that a third person was present, she looked to Zuko; he was staring at her, his yellow eyes wide, but otherwise expressionless. Without looking away from her, he spoke.

"Leave us, Lady Lo Kang."

The noblewoman cast a final triumphant glance at Katara before strolling down the corridor toward the guest wing at a dignified pace. Zuko did not move until her footsteps had died away.

Then, he took a slow step toward the waterbender. "Tell me if I misunderstand the situation," he said, voice low and eyes searching. Katara blinked. With his hair pulled back in the royal topknot and that intense look on his face, he looked a lot like the fierce prince of the old days. Not entirely aware of it, she edged back. "You dishonored my household by flagrantly disrespecting the peace under which our nations are gathered and picked a fight with a member of one of the most powerful noble families in Ba Sing Se…" He took another step toward her. She felt her back hit the wall. "…all because she said my scar was unattractive?"

Katara cleared her throat. "Something to that effect..."

The firebender stared down at her for a long moment. Katara was pretty sure that she was about to hear all about how stupid and irresponsible her actions had been, how she should have just let it go, how she had spread dishonor everywhere…

"You disagree?"

Caught off guard, Katara's brow furrowed. "What?"

"You find my scar… not unattractive?" There was a measuring quality to his gaze, something almost hesitant. His eyebrow had inched upward and rested now at an angle that seemed to convey confusion.

The waterbender blinked and, as was her habit when faced with a serious question, took a moment to examine the evidence. She peered unflinchingly at the marred side of his face. Noticing her gaze, Zuko turned his head slightly, giving her a better view. He kept his eyes on her, watching.

It was still the angry, dark red that it had always been, was still upraised and rough-looking. His left eye was still twisted in that permanent glare, what remained of his ear was still misshapen, and hair still would not grow from that ravaged skin.

Katara smiled. "It's not pretty… and you'll never pull off those sideburns that your people seem, for whatever reason, to like…" His lip twitched slightly. "But… it has a sort of appeal to it…" She reached out a hand, much as she had under Ba Sing Se. When he didn't pull away, she traced two fingertips along the rough lower edge, slowly following the borderline of his scar toward his ear.

Zuko, still watching her face, turned squarely back toward her and leaned a little closer as she touched him. "And what sort of appeal is that?" he asked, his voice low. It was the same rumbling tone he had used the previous night when he had spoken into her ear and the waterbender thought instantly of his physical reaction to her then, of her own retreat.

Katara's gaze flicked from the path of her fingers (which were now brushing in a slow circle over his cheekbone) up to his distorted eye. Her back was against the wall and he was very close, but she had no desire to retreat, now. This felt good. This felt… right.

"Mostly, I think it's the charm of a thing belonging to Zuko."

His yellow eyes widened just a little but, recovering quickly, he raised an arm and planted his palm against the wall at her side. He seemed to be getting closer.

Katara cupped the side of his face with her palm, stroking the very edge of his damaged flesh with the pad of her thumb. She found that her shoulders had pulled away from the wall. Zuko's eyes darted to her lips, then back to her eyes and he began leaning in…

"Fire Lord Zuko."

He leaped back from the waterbender as if she had burned him and both yellow and blue eyes shot to the older serving woman who had approached (rather stealthily) from the dining hall.

"Your other guests have begun to miss you. Shall we serve desert in your absence?"

Zuko cleared his throat. Katara tried to press herself through the wall. "No, Lin. I will be there directly."

"Yes, Fire Lord Zuko." Lin flicked a subtly disapproving eye over him, then turned and hurried away.

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose. Katara dropped her head back against the wall with a thump. For an instant, their eyes met, then danced away.

Finally, Zuko spoke. "I'll be busy for a while after dinner in meetings, tonight. I'll come to you, after."

It took a moment for her to realize that he meant that he would come as the Blue Spirit for their usual nightly activities. Not… "Oh, right. Okay."

Once more, she met his yellow gaze. Something there was simmering, lying in wait. With a final nod to her, he strode back down the corridor towards the dining hall. Katara watched him go, scanning him from crowned topknot to sharp shoulders to long, red robes.

When he turned the corner and vanished from her line of sight, the waterbender sighed and pushed off from the wall. As she made her way back to her own room, she found herself musing that, a little over a year ago, she never would have thought she would be sorry to see the Fire Lord walk away.

* * *

"Nephew, I must tell you about my most excellent idea…" Iroh splayed both hands on the table on either side of his desert cup and the combination of his round belly and the broad smile on his face gave him much the look of an enormous, bearded frog.

Zuko scowled. A beloved, but meddling frog. Had he known that _this _was the guest who asked Lin when the Fire Lord would be returning, he would have stayed and finished what he had started in the corridor. With Katara.

The firebender's scowl eased and dissipated at the thought of the waterbender. Katara, who had lost her temper over some petty slight against him. Katara, who thought his scar was _appealing_. Katara, who he would see later on tonight…

Zuko leaned forward on the table, gazing at his half-eaten fruit and thinking of her lips, just a breath away… "Alright, uncle. Tell me your idea."

"It will work in phases." Iroh held out a single finger and raised a gray eyebrow. "First, we will invite all of your potential brides for tea…"

On the old man's other side, his tea server piped in quietly, tugging Iroh's red sleeve. "I could make the tea, sir! Remember, you said I was improving?"

"And yes, Yoshu can make the tea," Iroh granted with a magnanimous nod.

Zuko wondered whether Katara would like to go after another politician, tonight...

Iroh went on, not seeming to notice his nephew's glazed expression. "After the tea, we will discuss each lady's interests, political leanings, and favorite color… although…" He frowned thoughtfully, tugging his beard with one hand. "…in order to comply with the boundaries of your schedule and still learn enough about each candidate, we may have to keep the kissing games brief. That, I think, is for the best, though!" His eyebrows did a happy little wiggle. "Better to leave them wanting more, eh, nephew?"

Zuko blinked and looked at his uncle. "More of what?"

"Kisses, Zuko!"

His eyes bulged. "I haven't kissed her once – how could she possibly want more if she doesn't know if I'm any good?"

Iroh stared at him, eyebrows raised. After a second, the obnoxious little tea server peered around the old man, wide-eyed.

On the other side of the table, the Avatar turned slowly away from his conversation with Toph, a grin taking up almost half of his face. The earthbender leaned her elbows on the table. "Who haven't you kissed yet, Sparky?"

Zuko composed his expression and stared imperiously around his audience of four. He could feel his cheeks heating. "No one," he snapped.

Aang's grin turned into a clever smile. "That's quite a claim, Fire Lord – I mean, personally, I don't remember anything like that-"

"Oh, can it, Twinkle Toes. He probably got you in the Sun Temple and you just don't want to admit it. I seem to remember that you guys came back pretty weird after that…"

"Yeah? Then when did Zuko kiss _you_?" Aang asked. His grin started fading as Toph smirked and silently pretended to examine her nails. He turned to look back at Zuko with some combination of alarm, anger, and suspicion – which was when Toph snorted and started laughing.

Zuko glanced back and forth from the snickering earthbender to the relieved-looking Avatar to the hiding-his-smile tea server to his uncle… who was weaving his fingers over his belly. The Fire Lord recognized this as a serious red flag. At a loss as to what else to do, he scowled at the tea server, whose smile instantly vanished before the whole young man disappeared behind Iroh.

The smiling old firebender didn't seem to notice. "Ah, my nephew, I am so proud to know that you have matured enough to pursue young women without my guiding hand. Whoever this lucky young lady is… can we invite her to the tea party?"

"No! What tea party?"

Iroh blinked, looking almost hurt, and then smiled a little wider than he had before. "Truly, you must feel strongly for her if you were too consumed by daydreams to listen to your clever old uncle describe the first phase of his most excellent idea!"

"You know," Toph knuckled one cheek, grinning lop-sidedly. "I bet I know who she is…"

Zuko rolled his eyes. Then, it hit him. Toph shared a room with Katara. A light sleeper who sensed lies… She probably _did_ know.

Iroh turned his delighted expression to the earthbender. "Oh, perhaps you could deliver the invitation, then!"

"Sure thing, uncle." Her face screwed up and she turned in Zuko's general direction again. "You _seriously_ haven't kissed her yet?"

The firebender's face was getting hot again. He scowled at Toph… not that it would do any good in shutting her up, but a healthy scowl sometimes made him feel better. "I've been busy," he ground out.

"Psh, yeah, because kissing a girl takes _so_ much time and energy." Between them, Aang was peering down at his empty desert cup and starting to go a little pink.

Just as Zuko was beginning to feel a little better – misery loving company as it does – the tea server again peered around Iroh, a helpful expression on his face. "Don't worry, Fire Lord Zuko, she's just being sarcastic – it's really easy!"

The frown splitting Zuko's face was both wide and deep. On his good side, where there were more nerves, his eye was twitching spasmodically. When he turned his yellow eyes on Yoshu, the younger man immediately leaned back behind Iroh. "I have kissed girls before," he hissed. "I also know what sarcasm is."

Those were the words he said, but the meaning was really more like _push me, kid, and you're toast_.

Eventually, though not soon enough for Zuko's liking, the feast ended. The Fire Lord said a few final words of welcome to his guests and everyone adjourned to their respective lodgings.

Mostly everyone.

Zuko ended up back in his nearly-smokeless office, where he had been since his release from the welcoming ceremony. All afternoon, he had sent Hau, his favorite emissary, out into the chaos of the guest wing to find and collect various individuals for private meetings, which had been a bit of a mixed success.

On the one hand, he had gotten to know the political leanings of many of the more influential nobles and developed a strategy for how he would seek support in several of the ventures he had planned for larger meetings.

On the other hand, the Earth King's bear mauled his favorite potted Achoka bush and King Bumi had left some kind of pale green crystal stuck to his best visitor's chair. The bush would probably make it. The chair had been relocated to another room and, the last Zuko had seen of it, was mostly consumed by glowing jags of rock.

As Hau ushered this final appointment into his office, Zuko rose to greet the older man. "Chief Hakoda, thank you for joining me at this hour. Please, have a seat."

The initial pleasantries passed surprisingly quickly; it was a welcome relief to Zuko, who had had to steer conversations with Earth Lords towards business all afternoon and was rather ready to make this a quick meeting. Still, Hakoda seemed especially reserved and Zuko found himself puzzling over the reason.

Soon enough, they came to it.

"Your uncle, Iroh, came to see me this afternoon. He was very insistent about the importance of trade between our peoples." Hakoda's gaze was firm, almost aggressive.

Zuko blinked. Iroh had not mentioned this visit to him… perhaps something had gone wrong. Perhaps that was the source of his guest's less-than-friendly demeanor. "I see… are you opposed to-?"

The chief waved a brown hand, shaking his head. "Of course not. My council and I can see the wisdom in increasing trade between our peoples. In fact, we have decided to appoint my daughter, Katara, as our first ambassador to the Fire Nation."

Zuko couldn't stop the surprised smile before it touched his lips. Hakoda's eyes narrowed. Puzzled, the firebender straightened his expression. "This is excellent news. I'm very pleased by your decision – and your choice of ambassador. Katara is a just and intelligent woman. I have no doubt that she will flourish as a trade ambassador."

"Nor do I," the older man returned, his features softening with a hint of a smile. It was a fleeting relief.

Zuko leaned forward in his chair and laced his fingers on his desk. Hakoda's blue eyes followed the gesture with something like suspicion. After a moment, the firebender sat back and rested his hands on the arms of his chair. "I… confess that I'm confused. This is a happy occasion for us both and yet… I feel that I'm the only happy one."

Those blue eyes settled on him, a silent inquisition. At last, Hakoda sighed and began to speak. "Your uncle spoke of trade between our countries in such a way that I had come to expect a certain proposition from you. I am glad that I have not received it."

Zuko blinked. "I'm not sure what you're talking about."

After scrutinizing the Fire Lord's face closely, Hakoda rose from the visitor's chair, his wiry body uncoiling without a hitch. Rigidly straight, he peered down at Zuko.

"You will not marry my daughter."

* * *

AN: Oh, drama!

Also, I am sadly convinced that neither of my main characters would notice how totally hot Hakoda is. This is the only thing stopping me from going into vivid, sparkly detail about the way his tunic clings to his muscular frame... or something like that.


	14. Chapter 14

AN: Sorry about the little wait on this one, but...

Oh. My. Gawd. Becky... This chapter was so hard to write. I don't know why, but I struggled with the whole thing. If there are mistakes, it's not because I didn't look for them over and over and over again. If you find something, tell me. So I can kill it. Honored Reviewers, you grant me such praise! Thank you so very much for taking the time! I love you all and I'm not afraid to say it and show it with slavish dedication (and lemons!)

...not that that's _not_ creepy...

* * *

"You will not marry my daughter."

Eyes widened in his shock, Zuko stared up at the rigid, challenging face of Hakoda. For years, the young Fire Prince had been trained in Fire Nation protocol; how to deal with a hostile ally, how to sooth ruffled nerves…

Somehow, none of that training kicked in.

"I… hadn't… I…"

Hakoda's thick arms crossed over his chest. His eyes scanned briefly over the stunned Fire Lord, then softened minimally. "You are a good man, Zuko. Your uncle mentioned that you are in a difficult position; you have my sympathy. Regardless of that…" Blue eyes hardened, ice-like. "Forcing young people to marry has never been the way of the Southern Water Tribe. Whatever changes may come over my people as our society grows, we have no intention of turning to the traditions of our sister tribe. We will trade with the Fire Nation; goods, wisdom, friendship… but I will not sell my daughter to you in exchange for prosperity. You will not use Katara as some piece of political leverage to drag your nation out of its dishonor. I won't tolerate it. Not as a chief and not as a father."

Zuko's mouth opened and shut a couple of times before he regained the power of speech. "I… I would not ask such a thing… and am… more surprised than I probably should be that my uncle would."

Hakoda seemed to accept this as honesty. Still scrutinizing the firebender, he slowly retook his seat. "He did not ask directly, but it was clear that the idea was in his mind. He has not consulted with you in this?"

The Fire Lord's good eyebrow gave a dry twitch. "Iroh is family. He respects his sovereign, but still does what he wants when it comes to my personal life. He always has."

At this, the chief's mouth shifted from a firm line to a smile. "You respect your elders. That is good."

"It wasn't an easy lesson for me to learn… but yes, I respect my uncle very much." Zuko furrowed his brow. "I apologize if he offended you with his attempts at… matchmaking. I hope you'll understand that he doesn't do this sort of thing solely in the interest of politics… I suspect he takes great pleasure in putting me in uncomfortable situations."

This won him a low chuckle. The firebender smiled slightly to see the tension releasing from the other man's posture. "I guess I should apologize, as well. I was a bit quick to draw conclusions about your agenda…" Hakoda hitched one thick elbow over the back of his chair, hand gesturing loosely at his side. "Even before my ship left the South Pole, there were those who suspected that Katara would not remain with the Avatar… I was approached by more than a few young men from the North who thought to secure advancements within the tribe by pursuing her."

Zuko, who was focused on retaining a carefully blank expression (as opposed to the scowl that he felt coming on,) did not entirely think through his words before speaking. "I hope you made them cry."

"What?"

"Ahem, I… hope that they saw the error of their ways, Chief Hakoda."

The tribesman's expression was thoughtful, with perhaps a spark of amusement in his eye. "Yes, well… Warning my own men away was much easier than getting rid of these Earth Kingdom nobles. Do you know how many rocks I've had dropped by my room in a single afternoon? Fifteen. And they aren't all little rocks, either…"

Zuko frowned. "Rocks?"

"For Katara. Apparently, it's some kind of formal endearment in their culture… In the Water Tribe, couples make and exchange small carvings. The practices are similar, I suppose…"

The firebender nodded, though his frown didn't diminish. Katara was receiving… gifts? Perhaps he should give her something… Zuko was not entirely sure that he had the skill to carve anything recognizable, but maybe she would appreciate the gesture enough to not look too closely…

He blinked. Hakoda had warned him against pursuing Katara not ten minutes ago and had looked remarkably large and intimidating (bender or not) while doing so… and yet Zuko was still thinking about ways of getting closer to her.

He'd been truthful. He hadn't – consciously, anyway – considered marriage to Katara before this. She was so different from the sort of woman he had expected to marry… starting with the fact that she was his friend. Besides, he hadn't even _kissed_ her yet. He doubted that she would appreciate it if he rushed things…

_Hey, Katara, I was just wondering if, you know, maybe we could… scare the crap out of a few guards tonight and then, sort of, get married in the morning? _Yeah. Smooth, Zuko.

But the point was moot if Hakoda went on thinking it was only an act of politics and decided that Zuko was as manipulative as his father before him… because Katara probably respected her father's opinion enough to at least listen to it… and then where would they be?

And what would he carve for her, anyway?

Hakoda crossed his arms again, leaning back in his chair and leveling a gaze at the distracted firebender. "However, with all due respect to Earth Kingdom culture… these are just rocks."

Zuko looked up with a curt nod. "I'll have someone cart them out to the garden tomorrow… unless… you want them off the palace grounds entirely? I could arrange for them to be taken to the harbor." He stroked his chin. Perhaps, if these… _love_ rocks were out of sight, Katara would forget about them…

One of Hakoda's eyebrows hitched upward. "The garden, I think, will do."

Still stroking his chin and gazing thoughtfully at his desk, the firebender tilted his head to one side. "I could also put an end to all of this rock-gifting… if that would be amenable to you."

"How would you manage that?"

Zuko blinked and met the chief's gaze. "Royal Mandate."

"That subtle?" Hakoda asked drily. "I think regular rock removal will do the job. Tell me, Fire Lord Zuko…" Those blue eyes narrowed again, slightly. "…where are _your_ rocks?"

"…_My_ rocks?"

"The gifts of endearment offered to you by _your_ many… candidates. I find it difficult to believe that you have not received any, after some of the talk that I overheard among the noblewomen at your feast."

"Ah." Zuko resisted the urge to scratch the back of his neck. "I think very few noblewomen came to these meetings prepared for… that. I kept the change in my situation private until very recently." His expression darkened. "Actually, if it wasn't for the Avatar asking in front of a group of Ba Sing Se delegates, I would still be keeping it private. I wanted this week to be about serious diplomatic engagements. Not a series of ridiculous… tea parties." The very words made his lip curl.

The older man raised a brow in mild confusion. "Tea parties?"

Zuko waved a hand, scowl fading into resignation. "My uncle. Helping."

"I see…" Hakoda seemed to consider something for a moment, then straightened his posture and spoke. "As I mentioned before, you have my sympathy in this. If the issue comes under official discussion, the Southern Water Tribe will defend your right to marry freely." A frown creased his face. "A leader must make sacrifices for the good of his people, but it does not seem right to me that the international community feels justified in pressuring you into an unwanted marriage. Of course, a part of that could just be my bias talking…" He smiled, a little lop-sidedly. "Did I ever thank you for helping Sokka bust me out of prison?"

Zuko blinked. "I don't think so… but it's not exactly like it was my idea or anything…"

"It was still a brave thing to do. I don't forget when people do things like that for me and mine." He nodded, eyes clear and blue. "Thank you."

The Fire Lord experienced a surge of awkwardness and did not manage to stop himself from scratching the back of his neck, this time. "You're welcome."

Hakoda's face went stern again in a heartbeat. "Now, where _is_ my son?"

Zuko, pinned once more in place by that stare, swallowed. "Uh…"

* * *

The moon hung in the sky like a cracked seed, not yet full, but still casting silver light and black shadows across the garden, below. Zuko crouched on the narrow ledge outside of the dormitory shared by Toph and Katara and peered into the dark room. He should have thought to give her some signal earlier that evening so that she would know when he got there, but he'd been kind of… distracted at the time.

Carefully, he squeezed through the open window and began creeping across the room toward the beds.

"Caught in the act, Sparky!" crowed a familiar voice from the bed closest to the door. "I knew it was Katara! I just _knew_ it!"

"Mm, what?" Zuko could see a dark, Katara-shaped blob sit up in the middle bed. Her face turned toward him and he could tell that she was already painted around the eyes. She must have spotted his mask just as easily in the moonlight pouring through the window. "Time to go?"

He nodded.

She slid out from between the covers and seemed almost to puddle on the floor before straightening and stretching. Her shoulder popped loudly. There was still grogginess in her voice when she spoke to the snickering earthbender. "What was that you said, Toph?"

He could make out through the dark that Toph had her arms crossed behind her head, but her voice was what made the grin obvious. "Oh, never you mind, Sweetness. You kids have a _real_ good time, tonight, alright?"

Zuko sighed, breath huffing through the Blue Spirit mask. So much for secrecy. "Come on, Katara. We've got to hurry or we'll miss it."

"Miss what?" She was beginning to sound alert, now, and barely slowed as she climbed out the window after him.

"A surprise."

Running with her was like some kind of dream; there was darkness and the soft sounds of their feet hitting the streets, fast and rhythmic. They passed through beams of light cast from yellow windows and the flicker of detail was almost shocking. Her hair, in its bun, bulged out the back of her zukin. Her face was a slash of red. Her eyes, two blue moons.

He led her to a small, ornate building in the lower district. Outside, a palanquin sat empty, the four bearers milling around and casting smiling glances through the square windows.

On all three tiers of the temple, the windows were lit from within by large paper lanterns in shades of pale blue, the light from which dimmed the red and gold of the building. After they sneaked around to the back and Katara boosted them up to the lowest tier on a wave of gutter water, Zuko peered through a window, then looked to her and gestured for her to do the same. She crouched beside him.

Because he was watching her face and not the scene taking place in the temple below, he got to see the widening of her eyes – eyes that only glistened brighter in the pale blue light.

Inside, Sokka and Suki grasped hands before a Fire Sage, both smiling brightly at each other as he spoke ritual words. The small room was filled with flowers of all colors – the huge pink splashes of Blast Lillies, the round red faces of Ember Orchids, the blue-speckled bulbs of Blazing Tulips. They were only for tonight; by morning, they would all have faded, shattered.

Zuko wasn't really paying attention to any of that, though. Katara, shocked, was beautiful. He could faintly see the outline of her parted lips pressed against her fukumen and, now that she was in the light, he could make out the thin, dusky line of skin between the top of the fabric of her mask and the edge of her red face paint. That tiny sliver of flesh made his breathing quicken.

He thought, for an instant, of Hakoda, looming over his desk with that threat in his eyes.

And then she put her hand on his knee and turned her own blue eyes – so similar! – on him before leaning close enough to whisper.

"They're in blue… Why are they wearing blue?"

He didn't have to look to know that she meant the simple, dark blue robes that both Sokka and Suki wore. Zuko, after a brief hesitation, laid his hand over hers on his knee and whispered through his mask, through her zukin, and into the cup of her ear.

"Blue is the wedding color in the Fire Nation – it is not worn for any other reason. After the ceremony, a new couple will go home and then burn their robes together as dawn comes. It symbolizes the death of the final night, before two lives became one. When the sun rises, they face it together."

"That's… beautiful." Katara looked back into the temple and watched as her brother and his warrior-bride leaned into a kiss over their joined hands. To Zuko's eye, their fingers were twisted together in a way that was oddly more intimate than the tender contact of their lips.

With a final blessing from the Fire Sage, the newlyweds made their way out of the temple and climbed into the palanquin to be whisked away, back to the palace. As they were pulling away, Sokka made one of his lame jokes. Suki's low laugh carried up to them. Though her face was cast in shadow as she turned away from the lit window, it was clear that Katara's eyes followed them down the street and out of sight.

Zuko squeezed her hand – which was still very much on his knee – to indicate that it was time to go.

In the dark of a nearby alley, Katara caught his elbow, tugging him to a stop. Once again, she was close, her voice pitched just for him. "How did you know about this?"

The firebender frowned beneath his mask, peering at the cobblestones for a moment. "Sokka and Suki came to me yesterday to ask where they could go for a quiet wedding. I sent the palanquin."

Her voice, though low, was not the whisper Zuko had become accustomed to. She sounded hurt… and maybe a little outraged. "Why didn't they tell us? Didn't they want any of us to be there?"

"They wanted their wedding to be about them, not families and friends…"

"I can't believe he didn't tell me… And neither did _you_, come to think of it."

Zuko held his hands out in a gesture of offering. "I brought you to watch… What can I say?" He gave a tiny, helpless shrug. "Sokka knew who to ask for this. The desire for something private makes a lot of sense to me, right now."

She stared at him for a long moment, then nodded. He was turning to walk on when she threw her arms around his shoulders in a hug. A stunned second later, he returned it, his arms sliding around her waist. Her voice was muffled against the side of his neck. "Thanks for showing me this, Zuko. It was beautiful."

Though Hakoda's threat beat at the back of his head like a drum, Zuko couldn't resist inhaling deeply, barely catching the scent of her hair through his mask. "Hey, no problem."

He was so tempted to stay there, holding her against his chest. The night air was cool and wet still from the recent rain; Zuko could feel her warmth, even through his clothing, and the flame within him leapt in answer. His fingers, against her back, flexed. Yes, it could be good to stay.

"So what's the plan, tonight?"

Under the mask, a smile took the firebender's face. Good to stay. Better to go.

* * *

Maybe it was the way her eyes crinkled just so, hinting at the scowl concealed by her fukumen. Maybe it was the way she shoved a man twice her weight against a wall with those spidery-fingered gestures, not even needing to touch him to take him over. Maybe it was the range of tone in that husky voice, her ability to go from gentle suggestion to death threat in the space of two words.

"…so straighten up or you'll have to start looking for a new profession, Captain – in the afterlife."

Maybe Zuko just liked the way she looked at him, afterwards, her eyes glittering in the dark.

The Captain was the third target of the night, the third corrupt officer to be dragged from a safely lit street or wine house and threatened in the dark of an alley. Zuko had a list of these guys – names, descriptions, debts to society. If he only had the energy, he could have kept Katara up all night. Threatening people. Not…

…but maybe, if he got a little sleep…

He had stopped thinking about Hakoda's warnings when the second target almost sliced Katara with a concealed knife. She managed to slip out of the way of that initial assault, but he would have caught her in the backswing if Zuko hadn't been there.

For a shining instant, she had needed him… and he had been there.

After that, Hakoda could have come snarling out of the dark at any moment and Zuko would have confessed to all of his plans, his hopes. Life was kind of like the flowers in the temple, somehow, though he couldn't quite get it straight in his head the way Uncle Iroh would put it; he was tired in that bone-deep, unthinking way that he'd never really known until this sleepless phase in his life.

Currently, he was leaning against a wall – which was perhaps doing more to hold him up than it should have had to – and watched the terrified Captain bolt off to his conditional freedom. When he was gone, Katara turned to face Zuko, one hand on her hip. Her voice sizzled, smirking in his ears.

"How did you ever do this without me?"

Sensing that he was being made fun of, Zuko began to pull away from the wall and stand up straight, but she stepped close faster, invading his space. He fell back with his sheathed swords pressed between his back and the wall and, eyes widening, peered down at her through his mask.

"Look at the tough Blue Spirit, all worn out…" She chuckled softly. Zuko felt a surge of heat at the sound… she was teasing him.

Her hand came up and slipped over his shoulder toward the pommels of his blades. He could not see the way she touched the leather and metal… but his imagination supplied an image of her fingers gliding over the rounded end, sliding down the smooth grip. He swallowed.

"…too worn out to finish what you started?"

Her fingers were suddenly on the side of his face, stroking his scar under the edge of his mask. He could feel the pressure, the distant rub of her fingertips against the ruined skin, but not the tickle of friction. It was not like being touched anywhere else. Zuko's eyes closed for an instant, chest heaving.

"Not at all," he growled. "Though, I seem to remember the situation a little differently…"

He grabbed her around the waist and struck, spinning them so that her back was the one against the wall. Katara gave a soft whoop of surprise, and then the hand that she had touched his face with rubbed around the back of his neck, twisting his zukin out of order. He wouldn't have noticed except that it dislodged his mask a little, blinding him.

He could have reached up to fix it, but his hands were planted on her hips and he was marveling at how perfectly these pieces fit together. Their chests and bellies were pressed against each other in a firmer repetition of the hug they had shared at the night's beginning and Zuko struggled against the urge to grind his erection against the warmth of her.

Then, her other hand shoved the mask over his head and he didn't hear it hit the street because her mouth, still covered by her fukumen, was already on his but it wasn't enough and he caught the fabric between his teeth and she raised her chin – they had always worked so well together when they wanted to – and then, _then_ he was kissing her.

Or she was kissing him. It was really hard to tell.

Their mouths fused, hot and slick, and the instant Zuko found her lips parting he couldn't resist the invitation to slide the tip of his tongue between them. Katara made a sound that could have been either a moan or a growl and pressed her own tongue against his in a delectable glide.

When she shifted her hips against his slightly, rubbing his swollen cock through their layers, he gasped against her mouth and his fingers tightened on her soft flesh, unconsciously seeking the heat under her clothes. He could feel her lips twitch in a smile. Then, the waterbender ground against him, harder. He groaned.

With his mind so full of the sensations of Katara, Zuko could not have been more surprised when the arrow pierced his shoulder.

* * *

AN: ARROWED! Also, very seriously considering suggestions for Hakoda oneshot... I don't want to break momentum on this story, but that's on my list. Also, also... Ozai, as Bad Daddy, has a whole other kind of Big Hot Action going for him... And Zhao, actually, has a place in my heart (or something like that) after some of the deviantart stuff I've seen... speaking of, LOOKITTHIS:

http:/rufftoon(dot)deviantart(dot)com/gallery/#/d1iob0a

(Paste into browser and replace (dot)s with .s - it's really worth it... Oh, it gave me such a chuckle...)


	15. Chapter 15

AN: Reviewers, I THANK you! Some observant observers may have noticed... that I'm mean. This is true. Don't worry, though! Anticipation just makes it taste seeeew much sweeter... Thus, meanness is _really_ my way of showing that I, too, less-than-three all of you. So, here we go!

* * *

Zuko's body was like a hot wall against hers, his lips sliding firmly with hers, his hands spreading their heat through her pants to the skin of her hips. And then, there was that hard lump that her lower belly brushed against – at first accidentally and then very much on purpose. Part of it was curiosity, part was a desire to hear him make some low, desperate sound.

He did not disappoint. Katara shuddered as that simple noise strummed through her.

Then, Zuko jerked and staggered back and Katara was confused until she saw the arrow protruding from his right shoulder.

In the space of a breath, the foggy warmth that had built up inside the waterbender dissipated and she scanned the alley for their attacker. There was no one as far as she could see in the direction from which the arrow had come but, on instinct, she peered up toward the rooftops.

The next arrow was for her. The only reason it didn't find its target was that she spotted the archer's moon-lit figure on a sloping roof an instant before he released it. She dodged to one side and the missile struck the wall where she had stood before spinning away harmlessly.

Katara sank immediately into a bending form and drew water up from between the cobblestones around her, then hurled it toward the archer's rooftop in a rain of ice shards…

…but he was already gone. The ice thudded into the empty roof, shattering several of the clay shingles. Apart from the sounds of their fragments falling to the street below, there was quiet.

Katara whirled to find Zuko leaning against the opposite wall of the alley, breathing shallowly and gripping his shoulder with his uninjured arm. He peeled his lips back in a pained snarl. "Did you get him?"

"No – he was too quick! Can you run? We need to get out of here, fast." Katara peered around again to be sure that the archer didn't reappear for another try.

"I think so…" Still grasping his shoulder, he straightened and stood away from the wall, but then wobbled oddly and leaned back into the support. His expression was a little surprised. "I might… need help."

Rushing to him, Katara threw an arm around his waist on his good side and started leading him out of the alley at a quick pace.

"My mask…"

"Seriously? You get _shot_ and you're more worried about leaving your stupid mask behind?"

"…don't know what I had to go through… to get that back from Lake Laogui…"

Rolling her eyes, Katara guided him to the wall for support, then, scanning the rooftops for the archer, ran back and scooped up the blue and white mask. Nearby sat the arrow that had missed her (barely) and, as she glanced at it, she noticed the narrow steel point was smeared with some dark substance.

With a gasp, Katara raised a hand and tried to bend the liquid. It didn't respond. Whatever it was, it wasn't water-based.

She had no chance of bending it out of Zuko's blood.

Grabbing up the arrow as well, she ran back to Zuko, helped him upright with his good arm over her shoulders, and rushed him along. He staggered along with her, not quite keeping the pace she wanted. Katara cast frequent glances along the tops of the buildings they passed, but she didn't see the archer again.

"We need an apothecary. Right now."

"I think there's one… a few blocks, uh… that way?" He jabbed a finger down one street in particular and Katara steered them in that direction. He seemed to be getting heavier, but his voice was very mellow, almost disinterested. "Poison?"

"It might be. How are you feeling?" The waterbender's eyes were welling up. They should've been moving faster, but Zuko kept stumbling…

"I feel… funny. Not necessarily poisoned… just, you know, funny." Going by the tone of his voice, he could have been talking about Sokka's cooking, not the suspicious substance that had just been shot into his blood stream. "You know what else is funny? _Rocks_. That's _funny_..."

"Zuko, are you sure this is the right way to the apothecary?" She scanned the street. There were no business signs. It all just looked like not-quite-impoverished housing.

He peered around, yellow eyes oddly unfocussed. "You know, I think it might be…" He raised a finger and waved it at three different houses before settling on one. "This one. Pretty sure."

The house in question was a bit dilapidated, with the gutter hanging loose from one corner of the roof and some junk lined up on either side of the stoop. All of the windows were dark. Katara's brow furrowed. "You're really sure?"

"…Maybe." Zuko turned to gaze at her, frowning thoughtfully. "I… _really_… like turtle-ducks, though."

The waterbender's eyes bulged and she scrubbed at them with the back of her sleeve as she guided the firebender up to the front step. When she banged on the door, Katara realized she still had the Blue Spirit mask in her hand and, while they waited for someone to come, she hurriedly pulled it back over Zuko's face.

"Woah… What smells like the bottom of a lake?"

"Shh." She had barely tugged her own fukumen back up to cover her nose and mouth when a tiny window in the door opened and a yellow eye peeked through at her.

It narrowed immediately. An older woman's voice came through to her. "I don't accept anonymous late-night business. What kind of establishment do you think this is?"

Katara blinked. "An apothecary? I- please, I think my friend's been poisoned."

"Well, your _friend_ is just gonna have to get his affairs in order. Hear that, buddy? You can-" When the eye caught a glimpse of the mask, it widened and the voice fell silent for a long moment. "That's the Blue Spirit."

Then, the little window snapped shut.

There was a sinking feeling in Katara's gut. This woman was going to summon the night watch and they would both be lucky to survive long enough to go to jail… though Zuko would probably take the easy way out and keel over any minute now… She again rubbed her eyes.

She was about to start dragging him down the street at a run when the door opened, spilling yellow light out onto the stoop. The old woman who stood, hunched before them had a shriveled face and a single keen yellow eye. The other socket was covered with a patch, though the ends of the ancient cut that likely took that eye out were visible above and below the red fabric.

"What? Are you waiting for the watch to come haul you off? Get in or get lost."

Katara tugged Zuko through the door and into a room whose walls were lined in shelves, each packed full of labeled bottles and jars that contained all manner of substances –liquids, powders, herbs, and minerals of all different colors, arranged in some order that was totally unfathomable to the waterbender. In the center of the room, there was a low table scattered with measuring instruments and odd bits of junk. The room's one window appeared to have been wiped down with soot to block out daylight.

"Sit down on the floor and let me get a look at it, now."

After guiding Zuko to seat himself on the floor near the table – the motion was really more of a slightly-controlled fall – Katara held out the arrow she had picked up in the alley. "I can handle the wound. It's this liquid that I'm wor-"

With surprising speed, the old woman snatched the arrow and waved her out of the way. "Lovers make poor healers, girl. Sit down like I told you." She sniffed the liquid and 'hmm'ed shrilly before shuffling off through a curtained doorway.

Katara scowled ferociously beneath her mask, but stalked over to sit on Zuko's good side. She would play by the rules if that's what it took to get an antidote. As she sat, the firebender immediately leaned his shoulder against hers, masked face drooping forward. If he hadn't been slowly dying, his similarity to a woeful child might have been funny…

Katara gave him a little nudge with her elbow and whispered into his zukin-covered ear. "Zuko? Can you sit up? You're making me really nervous…"

His head came up slowly, though it seemed to take a lot of effort, and he turned to look at her through the mask. "Don't worry, Katara. If I was going to tie you to a tree, I would _definitely_ ask permission first."

The waterbender's brow furrowed.

At that moment, the old woman emerged from her back room, carrying a plain ceramic cup. "He's not dying." She forced the cup into Zuko's hand and then, in one smooth motion, ripped the shoulder of his shirt so that she could get to the wound. "He'll get very sleepy very soon, though, and I doubt the two of you will make it to wherever you're going before he goes down… without a little help, that is. You drink that, now," she accompanied the command with a shake of her knobby finger.

Zuko, peering up at her, obeyed… or tried to. The mask got in the way.

Katara lifted the cup from his hand and tugged his chin to get him to face her. "So it was just a sedative?"

"Oil of bull-whale. Very good at slowing someone down and making him a little extra stupid. Not so good at killing anything. Also makes a nice stir-fry – but not on a work night." Without much ceremony, the old woman yanked out the arrow.

Zuko stiffened and turned back toward her. In an almost conversational tone, he demanded, "How _dare_ you assault the F-"

"Time to drink up, now, my little turtle-seal!" Katara grabbed his chin to stop the words and turned him back to face her – an angle that kept his face out of the old woman's line of sight. When she lifted the mask, he looked weary and skeptical.

"I like turtle-_ducks_. Turtle-_seals_ are too big for the ponds."

"Then a turtle-duck you will be. Drink."

He blinked at the cup she held before his mouth but, after a moment of hesitation, rolled his tired yellow eyes to hers and pressed his lip to the rim. She slowly tipped the cup back until the liquid was gone. Then, she lowered the mask once more.

After setting the cup back on the table, she watched the old woman (who seemed to think nothing of the delirium) prod at the arrow wound. She poured some kind of liquid from a small brown bottle into a clean cloth and used that to dab lightly at the puncture. "It's clean. No chipped bones or anything – lucky you, if you can call getting shot by Chu Tan luck." She began applying a simple bandage with quick, professional motions.

Katara snapped her gaze to the old woman's one yellow eye. "Who's Chu Tan?"

She gave the waterbender a withering look. "You're obviously not Fire Nation, so I'll let you get by with that _one_ stupid question. Any more, though, and I'll lose all my patience with you." She went on bandaging Zuko's wound, seeming completely unaffected by Katara's glower. "Chu Tan is a local bounty hunter. Nice boy. Specializes in bringing back prisoners."

"I knew that…" Zuko chimed in. He sounded a bit perkier than he had moments before.

The old woman frowned at him thoughtfully, then nodded to herself. "Good dose." She turned her eye back on Katara and crossed her arms. "You'd better take him to a safe place in a hurry – if that tonic wears off before you get there, you're carrying him."

Katara, pulling Zuko to his feet, frowned. "I just realized that neither one of us has any money…"

The other woman waved a hand. "For the Blue Spirit, I'll accept late payment. Three silvers, Fire Nation coin only. Now get out." As they walked out the door – Zuko actually teetering along unsupported – the old woman grabbed Katara's elbow. The waterbender looked into that one yellow eye. "Don't screw up, girl. The Fire Nation needs that one."

Unsure for a moment whether she had figured out Zuko's identity, Katara could only nod.

Then, the door shut in her face.

* * *

Katara ran Zuko as far as he could manage to go at their usual pace, clutching his wrist behind her. She led him along a shortcut through the Noble's District, despite the extra danger of royal guard patrols, and managed to keep them clear of trouble. Luck was with them, this time. They made it to a secret entrance to the palace and were on one of the first staircases leading from the tunnels to the palace proper before he started losing steam.

And it was very lucky that they got that far, because, when Zuko began to slow down, he did so at an alarming rate.

"Maybe if I just… rest my eyes for a minute, I'll feel up to this," he suggested as Katara tugged him along at a quick climb.

"No way. I am _not_ carrying you all the way up to your room. Now hurry up!"

But it was really no use. Zuko was crashing fast and, by the time Katara estimated they were about halfway to his room, his head hung low in front of him, his arms dangled from limp shoulders, and he only managed a zombie-like shuffle that was barely any help at all in getting him up the stairs.

It crossed her mind to use bloodbending to march him along and spare herself the panting and straining, but… bad enough to use it on enemies. No way was she using it on Zuko.

Katara, with his good arm over her shoulders and a death grip on his waist, was dragging him awkwardly down the final corridor when she encountered the first guards. Spotting their light as it appeared from around a corner, she pulled Zuko behind one of the large, ornamental pillars that lined this particular hallway and then held very still.

Two royal guards marched past, chatting quietly about a recent play, and the waterbender thanked Yue that those helmets were so restrictive to peripheral vision.

At last, she managed to get Zuko through the secret door and into the safety of his room. It was dark, with all of the lamps extinguished and just a tiny sliver of moonlight touching some of the potted plants, but Katara made it across the room to the enormous bed – it was hard to miss.

The firebender groaned softly when she let him fall in a heap to the coverlet.

"Sorry, Zuko," Katara panted. She plopped down on the edge of the bed beside him, struggling to regain her breath. "I'll heal your shoulder before I go… Let me just… rest for a minute, though."

She peered towards the dark doorway of the bathroom and finally let all of the possibilities sink in…

If the apothecary hadn't been so close, she and Zuko wouldn't have made it out of the lower district tonight.

If that second arrow had hit her, they probably wouldn't have made it out of the alley.

If that archer had intended to kill, Zuko would be dead right now.

Katara swallowed and pulled the hood and mask from her face so she could breathe, so she could scratch the back of her scalp with a shaking hand. So stupid to get distracted that way… they should have been more careful. They shouldn't have been out so late, with Zuko practically falling over in his exhaustion.

But – the waterbender drew a deep breath and sat up straight – it had all come out okay… this time. The archer probably hadn't gotten a good look at either of their faces in that dark alley and they had learned some very important information tonight.

Someone had hired this bounty hunter, Chu Tan, to catch the Blue Spirit – and possibly her, too. Not kill, but catch… which meant that the buyer either had questions or a serious grudge.

Katara swallowed, but her eyes narrowed in thought.

It took money to do something like this, so her thoughts immediately jumped to Governor Tseng… but it was likely that Zuko had threatened a number of other wealthy, powerful people before she got here. This was, after all, only her third night.

In fact, it seemed very likely that whoever had sent Chu Tan had failed to warn him that the Blue Spirit had a dangerous partner; a wary bounty hunter would not have given her the seconds she had had to search for him before putting an arrow through her. He also probably would have pressed the assault if he hadn't been surprised by her return-fire.

Her eyes widened. She had used waterbending to attack him. Up to now, Katara had been very careful to only use bloodbending in front of their targets; no one knew about the technique, so it was easy to pass it off as witchcraft instead of a waterbending variant.

Now, Chu Tan knew that the Blue Spirit's partner was a waterbender… and there were only so many waterbenders in the Fire Nation Capital.

With a sigh, Katara rubbed her face and made for the bathroom. By touch, she could tell that the red paint that had been around her eyes had smeared down her cheeks from all of her frantic tear-wiping… when she had been so sure that Zuko was going to die. She washed it off in the basin, splashing softly in the dark, and returned to the bed with a sphere of water hovering between her hands.

The rip in Zuko's shirt left the white bandage perfectly accessible and Katara used the water to carefully slice it away before beginning the healing. The old woman had been right; the wound wasn't bad at all – as far as being shot with an arrow goes – and it was just a matter of moments before it had closed cleanly under her ministrations.

That done, she removed Zuko's mask and swords, tucking them back into the potted plant she knew he hid them in, and set about dragging the enormous blanket over him. At last, when she felt her work was done, she sat back down on the edge of the bed.

Katara really needed to get back to her own room, but she was truly exhausted from all the running, fear, and body-dragging…

Maybe, if she just… rested her eyes for a minute…

* * *

She woke up warm – really warm, as if her back was to a bonfire… that seemed to have its arm flung around her waist.

For a long while, Katara lingered in a half-conscious place where a few hot fingers traced ovals on the patch of bare skin where her shirt had come free from her pants. Then, her own hand slid over those fingers and pressed that other palm firmly against her belly before gliding up its clothed wrist and forearm and onto a slim hip behind her own.

There was a puff of breath against the back of her neck and then the gentle press of his pelvis against her bottom, the prominent lump of heat snagging her full attention…

…until the low, vibrating sound against the side of her neck brought her fully awake.

"You're in the wrong bed, waterbender."

A thrill surged through her at Zuko's sleep-roughened voice and she turned her head slightly to catch the end of his nose in her peripheral vision. "Says who?"

"The bed's owner," said the nose, which vanished from her sight as it nuzzled against the tender skin below her ear. He stilled after a moment, as if realizing what he was doing. "Is this… okay?"

Katara smiled and rolled in his embrace, peering back over her shoulder into his concerned yellow eyes. As she did, she pressed harder against that hot lump and was met by equal force. Those eyes narrowed slightly. "This is good."

"Mmm…" Zuko surged forward to settle his mouth against hers, rising up on his forearms to lie half over her. His hips ground firmly this time and Katara found her hand venturing from his hip to his flat, hard belly, catching under his shirt and sliding against the softness of his skin. She felt his navel and the trail of hair that led her down, down…

There was a sharp knock on the door, followed by the horribly familiar voice of that serving woman, Lin. "Fire Lord Zuko, your meeting with the first tier nobles of Ba Sing Se begins in twenty minutes. Do you wish to reschedule?"

His frown, as he turned a blazing eye at the door, was a combination of fury and agony. His tone was remarkably restrained, though. "No. Ready my robes – five minutes."

"Yes, Fire Lord Zuko."

Despite the roll of her own eyes at Lin's interruption, Katara was snickering quietly beneath him. His focus switched to her. "Funny?" he growled.

She grinned. "You just had this look on your face… I half-expected you to demand that she bring you the Avatar…"

Zuko's frown slowly transformed into a smirk. "I guess I _am_ experiencing a similar pattern of repeated failure and frustration in pursuit of my goal."

"And just what is this 'goal?'" Katara asked, narrowing her eyes. She sincerely hoped he didn't consider _her_ to be…

"I, uh…" His yellow eyes widened and he stared down at her for a long moment before glancing to one side. "Yeah, I guess we should probably… talk about that, at some point."

"Agreed." The waterbender frowned. With a glance toward the windows – through which the sunlight was pouring – her eyes widened. "Oh. Wow. I should really get back to my room…"

Zuko cleared his throat and rolled off of her. "Right." Katara climbed out of the bed and twisted a bit to stretch out, then pulled her hair loose so that it would cover her zukin. The firebender's voice came to her as she approached the secret door.

"Katara?"

She looked back at him over her shoulder. He sat on the edge of the bed, gripping his shoulder where the cloth of his shirt was torn. "Thanks… for looking out for me, last night."

The waterbender smiled. "That's what partners do."

For some reason, his eyes widened a bit. Katara rushed out.

* * *

Getting from Zuko's bedroom to her own without being seen was not an easy thing. Katara dodged behind a lot of pillars and chose a lot of circuitous routes to stay clear of the more populated regions of the palace.

When she finally reached the lounge she shared with the others, the waterbender slipped through the door with a sigh of relief already drawn…

…so when she closed the door behind her and recognized her father sitting on the couch, arms crossed and expression stern, she choked. Hakoda's tone was dry.

"Wild night?"

* * *

AN: See? _Mean! _


	16. Chapter 16

AN: Thanks so much to everyone for your continued support - I get such a thrill from reading all of your reviews! I can't tell you how much it brightens up my day! Hope you all enjoy this chapter!

* * *

"Good morning, Dad!" Katara, after taking a moment to recover from this little shock, forced a broad and hopefully-innocent-looking grin.

Hakoda did not look convinced. "Is it? Because, I've gotta tell you, Katara, my morning really hasn't been so good."

The waterbender let the grin fade and, feeling a bit as if she was walking into a trap, took a seat in one of the chairs. "Why's that, Dad?"

"Well…" Hakoda took a deep breath and, leaning forward with his elbows propped on his knees, frowned down at the floor between them. "It started a little after dawn, when your brother came pounding on my door to inform me that he and Suki eloped last night."

"Oh…" Realizing that her father's keen eyes were on her, Katara tried to look surprised. "He never mentioned any plans like that to me…"

Hakoda paused for a moment, looking a bit suspicious, but shook his head and continued. "He invited me to come with him to tell you and the rest of your friends." Katara swallowed. Her father drew himself up, arms crossing again over his chest. "I've gotta say I was pretty surprised to find out that you'd been gone all night."

"Ah… That." The waterbender set her eyes on the floor and folded her hands in her lap, brow furrowing.

"Your friends were worried – they just left to look for you, maybe ten minutes ago. I said I'd stay… in case you came back." Hakoda was quiet for a long moment and Katara sneaked a glance up at him. He was frowning thoughtfully at her – her clothes or her hair or some combination of the two.

"Dad, I'm sorry if you were worried… I didn't mean to be gone this long…"

He watched her closely, but didn't quite seem to be hearing her. "Your earthbender friend, Toph – she seemed to know what was going on, at least. She thought it would be a good idea to ask the Fire Lord where you were." Hakoda paused, as if to reach deep within himself for restraint. Regardless, he was beginning to sound angry. "Why would the Fire Lord know where you were all night, Katara?"

To her horror, Katara could feel her cheeks heating, betraying her. She flinched slightly, but met her father's eyes, this time. "It isn't… exactly what it sounds like, Dad."

He stared at her reddening face and his blue eyes widened slightly. His frown tightened. "Then what is it? Explain this to me, because I can only think of so many reasons why a young woman would spend a night with a wealthy, powerful man who is openly hunting for a wife."

She stared back at him, her back going rigid in her shock. "It's got nothing to do with any of that! Zuko is my friend! I'm helping him… with something."

"Oh, I'm sure you are." Hakoda rose from the couch and stalked a few steps away, scowling. "I'm sure he's got you convinced that he just can't get through without your help. He certainly had me fooled with that… awkward act." His hands, at his sides, clenched into fists. "He's manipulative, Katara. I can't believe you'd do this, even after sitting through that meeting with his uncle and listening to all of his talk about 'solid unions' and 'the partnering of our nations.' I imagine they've had this planned from the start."

"Had what planned?" The waterbender stared up at her father's tense back and shoulders… She had never seen him this angry before, not about something that she had done.

His blue eyes flashed back to her. "A trap, Katara. First, it was that subtle hint from the old general, feeling us out about a political marriage between the Fire Nation and the Southern Water Tribe. When I informed the Fire Lord that that wasn't our way, he clearly decided to approach the situation from another angle. Now, he's tempted you into… _whatever_ it is that you're doing and probably tries to win your heart every chance he gets…" He clenched his teeth and curled his lip, eyes on the door. "…deceptive little rat-weasel…"

"Now, wait just one minute." Katara narrowed her eyes and stood, crossing her arms over her chest. "First of all, Zuko never tempted me into anything. I was out last night because I wanted to be – because I believe in… what we were doing." She rushed on, trying to ignore her father's scowl. "And, secondly, just yesterday you told me that I was smart about people and politics. Where did that confidence in me go, Dad?"

Under her pleading gaze, Hakoda's scowl softened into a disappointed frown. He looked away. "I don't know what to think of either one of my children, anymore. Sokka married by Fire Nation tradition… He turned his back on the ways of his people – what kind of chief will he be if he can't honor his own people's traditions?" He snapped his eyes back onto her. "What kind of ambassador will you be if you spend your nights in bed with those you are here to defend your people against?"

"Dad!" Katara opened her mouth, but couldn't find the words.

After a long moment, Hakoda strode to the door. He peered over his shoulder at her, still frowning. "Think about it."

Then, he was gone.

* * *

Zuko did not quite make it to his meeting on time.

It wasn't the distracting thoughts of Katara that caused his tardiness… though they were very distracting thoughts. His mind raced from the memories of how her body had felt against his to how she had looked after him… to the reason why she had had to. Chu Tan. That line of thinking was equally distracting, though definitely not in the same, pleasant way.

Distracted or not, though, Zuko left his chamber with plenty of time to spare. His servants were as quick and efficient as ever, the distance to the conference hall was not that great, and he strode all the way there at a quick pace.

There were just… obstacles.

"Hey, Jerkbender, where's my sister?"

The Fire Lord stopped mid-step and turned slowly, only to find Sokka, Suki, Toph, and Aang rushing up to him from a side passage. "How should I know?" He glanced around to make sure that the corridor was empty before snarling in a quieter voice. "What is wrong with you? Are you trying to start a scandal?"

Reaching him first, Sokka grabbed the front of Zuko's mantle with both hands. "I know you know where she is – so _where is she_?"

"She's probably back at the dormitory by now. Get off me!" With a quick twist of his arms, the firebender broke the grip on his person and then peered down to make sure his clothing was still in place. He cast a narrow-eyed glance at the earthbender, who had obviously given him away. "Thanks a lot, Toph."

She shrugged, frowning. "I woke up and Sweetness wasn't back yet so I got worried. It was a strange and new feeling for me." She grinned. "So how was it?"

"How was wha-?" Before Zuko could finish the question, he drew back in surprise as Sokka yelled and reached for him with curled, claw-like fingers. Suki put herself in the way, seeming to fight off a smile as she held her husband back.

Aang offered a nervous laugh. "Oh, come on, Toph! They didn't actually…" He turned his wide gray eyes on the Fire Lord. "…Did you?"

Zuko, very aware of the three pairs of eyes (and one pair of feet) that were so focused on him, sputtered. "No! Nothing happened! Now, if you don't mind, I really need to-"

"Uuum…" Toph's grin got wider and she used that obnoxious sing-song voice. "Somebody's lying…"

"What did you do to my sister?" Sokka demanded, pouring a whole new surge of energy into his struggle against Suki.

Incensed and frustrated, the firebender clenched his hands at his sides and yelled back. "I kissed her, okay? _A_ kiss! One!" He held up a single finger to illustrate, then slashed it back down to his side. It trailed a little flicker of flame. "Then, I got shot with a drugged arrow and she dragged me around the city for a while! Sounds like a real hot first date, doesn't it?"

They all stared at him with the same expression of half-skepticism and half-disappointment… except for Aang, who just looked shocked. "She… she went out with you… to do _that_?"

Toph shook her head and snickered. "Yeah, I definitely expected better from you, Sparky."

"Although…" Sokka crossed his arms and stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Jet, the Avatar… Katara _does_ seem to enjoy a state of constant danger in her dating life…"

Seemingly unaware of what the others were saying, Aang fisted his tattooed hands as his outrage built. "I can't believe you'd endanger Katara by dragging her along on one of your stupid missions, Zuko!"

"Hey, I didn't drag her anywhere! _She_ was the one-"

"What is all of this shouting?" Zuko whirled to find his uncle approaching, hands folded together inside of his sleeves. The expression on his face was calm concern, but the speed of his footsteps belied his sense of urgency.

The Fire Lord remembered himself and, once more, scanned the corridor for witnesses. He saw no one, but took the opportunity to draw a few calming breaths. It had been a long time since he had lost his temper this way...

Aang, too, had calmed himself, though he stared at the firebender with a deep frown and a look that said this conversation wasn't over.

"Hey, Uncle Iroh! Zuko was just telling us about his date with Katara last night," Toph supplied, helpfully.

At these words (and the sight of surprised pleasure flooding his uncle's face) the Fire Lord's momentary calm evaporated. "It wasn't a date," he ground out.

Sokka narrowed one eye and pointed at him. "But, you just said-"

"I have to go. I'm late for a meeting." The firebender spun on his heel and hurriedly left the corridor but, as soon as he rounded the next corner, a hand clamped onto his shoulder. His impulse was to hurl it off and maybe send a blast of fire at its owner, but he managed to restrain himself. Sokka's tone was surprisingly serious.

"Zuko." The Fire Lord peered back over his shoulder at the young tribesman, whose gaze was searching. "Was it a date or wasn't it?"

Zuko blinked, then turned to face the other young man squarely. "No. It wasn't."

Sokka frowned at him and hitched his hands on his narrow hips. "But you kissed her, anyway?"

The firebender's eyes dropped off to one side. Unaccountably (and despite the fact that it had been Katara who initiated that first kiss) he was starting to feel like a real jerk. "Yeah."

"I see…" For a long moment, Sokka stared at him through narrowed eyes. Finally, he spoke. "Are you going to marry my sister?"

Zuko's eyes widened and he rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't really… We haven't talked about it."

Sokka nodded and crossed his arms, settling his chin between thumb and forefinger in a thoughtful pose. "I've considered you a friend for a long time, Zuko. I respect you and I'm grateful for what you did for me and Suki…" He pointed a finger and jabbed it into one side of the Fire Lord mantel as if it was any ordinary garment. "…but you're getting married soon, whether you like it or not and, if you aren't going to marry _her_, you dishonor yourself, your future wife, and Katara by kissing her."

"You mean you don't… object?" His yellow eyes widened, a little perplexed. "What about all that…" He gestured back up the corridor, to where the struggle had taken place.

Sokka shrugged and one side of his mouth twitched upward impassively. "Nah. I've gotta do the big brother thing, but – like I said – we're friends. You're alright for a jerkbender." His expression darkened. "Unless you dishonor my sister. Then, it's you, me, and Space Sword – and the sword's on _my_ side."

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose. "And your father. Don't forget him."

"My father?"

The firebender looked up. Sokka looked genuinely confused. "Chief Hakoda informed me that I will not be dragging Katara into a political marriage."

"If you married Katara, would it be for political gain?"

"No, but it would look that way to a lot of people."

A self-satisfied grin spread over Sokka's face. "Then you'd better start making it look _un_political."

Zuko's eyes widened. Was… was that a suggestion to… The firebender felt his jaw drop as understanding broke on his mind like an egg dropped from great heights, splattering its brilliance everywhere.

Sokka, that ridiculous strategic genius, slapped Zuko's shoulder. "Don't you have a meeting or something?" His eyes squinted against the force of his grin. "_Bro_?"

So, yes, when Zuko finally tottered into his meeting with the first tier nobles of Ba Sing Se, he was late… but, more than that, his mind was whirring, searching for ways to make a marriage to Katara seem anything but political.

* * *

When he emerged from the meeting some hours later, Zuko was not entirely surprised to find Hakoda standing in the hallway, leaning against one wall with his arms crossed. He was also not surprised to see that the expression on the man's face evinced a sort of contained fury.

The lack of surprise, though, did not make the sight any less reassuring.

Yet, Zuko approached the Water Tribe chief without hesitation, his back straight and his expression serious. Show no weakness; it was the first rule of Fire Nation Protocol.

"Chief Hakoda."

"Fire Lord Zuko."

The firebender persisted without missing a beat, despite the other man's growling tone. "I would be honored if you would accompany me to my office."

Hakoda's only response was a short nod.

They walked in strained silence, and Zuko began mentally preparing himself for the conversation to come. It would not be acceptable if he lost his temper. No matter what happened, he had to remain calm.

Upon reaching his office, Zuko opened the door, ushered his guest inside, and then pulled the door shut behind him. Immediately, Hakoda whirled, gripped his robes, and slammed him up against the door.

"Maybe I wasn't clear enough last time, _Fire Lord_," he spat. "When I said 'you will not marry my daughter,' I did not mean that you _could_ use her like some sort of whore."

Zuko's lips peeled back. "You shame Katara with language like that." He knocked the older man's arms away and shoved him back a step. It was not easy; Hakoda was much stronger than he was. He only managed it because he had the added leverage of the door behind him.

"Coming from the man who keeps impressionable young women in his room overnight?" The tribesman lowered his head aggressively and took a couple of steps to either side, circling like a wolf-bear.

The firebender's fists shook at his sides and his yellow eyes followed the other man's movements. "She's about as impressionable as an Omashu mail car. _I'm_ probably more impressionable than Katara."

"Oh, really?" Hakoda snarled. "How about I make an impression on you right now?"

Zuko, having forgotten all about his plan, held out both hands in a welcoming gesture. "Try it."

The resulting struggle was not pretty. Hakoda missed Zuko and punched the door. Zuko tried to kick Hakoda, but ended up catching his leg on his cabinet full of financial reports, sending the whole thing crashing to the floor. One hit the other. That one hit back. Hakoda grabbed Zuko by his upper arms and hurled him over his own desk. Zuko leapt up, tore off the mantle that was impeding his movement, and sprang over the cleared desk with a shout.

When a pair of guards burst in, alarmed by the noise, they found a room demolished. In the center of the floor, the Fire Lord and the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe wrestled, snarling profanities at each other. The older man managed to pin the firebender to the floor with one thick forearm under his chin.

One guard hesitantly ventured, "Fire Lord Zuko, do… do you need assistance?"

Both men stopped moving and looked up. Zuko, topknot come undone and golden ornament lost somewhere in the papers strewn across the floor, roared, "Do I look like I need assistance? I'm in a meeting! Get out of my office!"

Once the door slammed behind the confused guards, Hakoda met Zuko's eyes. For a long moment, they remained still, breathing heavily and threatening each other with eye-contact alone. At last, the older man spoke.

"I will never understand the Fire Nation's notion of honor."

Zuko narrowed his eyes. "How so?"

"You could have ended this at any time by firebending or calling your guards…" Hakoda shook his head, beaded strands swaying. "…but you fight honorably – _lose_ honorably." His eyes narrowed. "And yet you treat my daughter so _dis_honorably. It's… beyond puzzling."

Zuko swallowed, which was not entirely easy with Hakoda's hard forearm against his throat. "I kissed her… twice. That was pretty much the extent of it. Is it so dishonorable to kiss a woman you like in the Southern Water Tribe?"

"For you it is. You're getting married." His head shook slowly. "Not to my daughter, though."

"Yeah, about that…" Zuko drew a deep breath – as deep as he could with the other man weighting his ribcage. "I meant to ask you, when we got here, whether it would make a difference to you if you knew that I… care a great deal about Katara and feel that we have always worked well together." He paused. Hakoda was glaring down at him. Zuko met that hard look. "I respect her – as a warrior, as a leader, and as a representative of your people. More than that, though… she's my friend… and I can't imagine a better partner."

For a long moment, they remained as they were; Hakoda frowning down thoughtfully and Zuko matching his stare.

At last, the older man pulled away and rose to his feet. A moment later, Zuko followed. They faced each other. Hakoda wiped a little blood from the split in his lower lip. "In the end, the decision is Katara's. I won't stop her from doing what she feels is right… however much I may want to."

The firebender nodded. There was a sore place in his neck that hadn't been there when he had walked into this room. "I thank you for that much, then. I will discuss the matter with her as soon as circumstances allow."

The older man's arms crossed firmly over his chest. "There remains the problem of public perception. If – and I mean _if_ – you and Katara were to marry, it may be seen as a sign that the Southern Water Tribe has changed its practices. If you respect Katara and her people, you will take this into consideration."

"Actually…" Zuko looked around, found his chair lying broken on its side, and sat on the edge of his desk instead. "Sokka had an interesting idea about that…"

* * *

AN: I've never seen these two fight before, ever, and now I'm not sure why. I shamelessly confess that writing this scene gave me filthy ideas. I mean... Can I be blamed? While there is not room in this particular story for sexy man-on-man action... there is certainly room for it in my heart. :)

ALSO, and more importantly, after getting a look at some of the initial reactions to this chapter, I'm considering reworking it. Your input matters, big time.


	17. Chapter 17

AN: So, today, I got one of the most exciting messages, ever; someone made fanart for this story! Hoorah for fanart! Especially this one... it's colorful and dramatic and beautiful... GO SEE HOW AWESOME IT IS! (http:/senbo-sama(dot)deviantart(dot)com/art/His-Majesty-Prefers-Blue-180497435?q=sort%3Atime+gallery%3Asenbo-sama&qo=0) ...also, someone suggested that senbo-sama draw the Hakoda/Zuko fight scene... and I just wanna lend further support to that idea because, maybe, with enough peer pressure, it could happen someday - and my life would be that much brighter. Woo! Thanks senbo-sama for making such a great piece of art!

My continued thanks go out to all of you fantastic reviewers - especially those who offered constructive criticism and thoughtful opinions about the last chapter. I decided, after all that, to leave it as it is. (Of course, I still love to hear people's ideas and hopes for the rest of the story... I do read them and I do think carefully about them and, sometimes, they alter the course of the fUtUrE...)

**

* * *

**

Katara sat on the chair in the lounge long after her father left the room. For a while, she could only stare at the empty couch where he had been with her arms wrapped around her aching stomach, occasionally scrubbing the tears from her cheeks.

It wasn't exactly that Hakoda had hurt her feelings… though he had, a bit. In all her life, Katara couldn't remember her father ever being that mad at her. And he had certainly never acted so suspicious of her private dealings… Part of that anger could probably be blamed on Sokka (who was _really _going to get it the next time she saw him) but there was another obvious source, too.

Zuko.

Hakoda had pointed out a series of facts to which Katara herself had been somehow blind to, things she had either failed to think about or chose to ignore. Like the dishonor in kissing Zuko when she was, as her father had said, an ambassador with a responsibility to her people. Like Zuko needing to marry. Like Iroh showing such an interest in her available status. Like the political benefit to the Fire Nation if Zuko's bride was from the Southern Water Tribe, the people second-most devastated by the hundred-year war…

…_in pursuit of my goal._

There was an overwhelming weight in her gut, like worry and grief and loneliness nibbling at her from some unreachable place. She felt as if she had taken a wrong step and gone pitching over the edge of a chasm without knowing it and only now realized that she was hurtling through the dark.

Zuko had gone to incredible lengths to reclaim his honor. How far would he go for his country's honor?

He _did_ consider her a goal, just like capturing the Avatar or defeating his father. When his eyes lit up the way they did, was it because he sensed the approach of victory?

And then, the anger took over.

How dare the men in her life act so thoughtlessly? Sokka and his secret wedding. Hakoda and his unexpected burst of temper. Iroh and his scheming. Zuko…

She stormed into her bedroom and started undressing, flinging her black clothes into the bottom of her wardrobe as if to punish them. At last, she stood in front of the vanity, naked and scowling back at herself.

The morning sunlight made her dusky skin glow, cast shadows across the fleshy peaks of her breasts, the line down the center of her belly, the swell of her abdomen. Her hair fluffed out behind her in waves, dark and voluminous and, where the sun hit, sparking. Katara peered for a long moment at herself. _Her_ self.

Kissing Zuko had been dishonorable. Compromising her honor had been a mistake.

Narrowing her eyes, she sank into the familiar, smooth motions and drew the water out of the pitcher by the mirror in a long whip. As she worked through the form, her element whirled around her, glistening in the sun like a trail of diamonds. It wreathed her, orbited around her, and trickled along her skin like a cool tongue that lapped in quick, almost insubstantial sweeps.

Katara moved faster, separating the streams into droplets that hurtled around her body in a shell of particles. Her reflection became distorted, blurred.

There was not enough space in here. With a whirl of her body – and, thus, the water – she flushed away the sweat, old and new, from her skin, then yanked on fresh clothes and slammed the door on her way outside.

* * *

It was much better in the garden… mostly.

The many quiet, ornamental ponds and dew-studded grasses were excellent sources of water. The open blue sky gave her all the space she needed to raise her element into the air in streams and geysers. The cool freshness of the morning infused Katara with clean energy.

The audience… was a different story.

At first, it was just the turtle-ducks, who quacked in panic as their waters diminished and soared away. For some reason, Katara detested turtle-ducks, today.

Then, a few people clad in servants' garb came outside pushing carts full of rocks, which they dumped unceremoniously behind some bushes.

Not long after that, people began to come to watch. Mostly, they were nobles who had been strolling through the scenic trails of the garden, but it began to seem annoyingly odd that so many were out walking at the same time as more and more gathered in clusters around the waterbender. Some of the more incurably obnoxious 'ooh'ed and 'ahh'ed at the sun-sparkling water-work. Some just stared at the waterbender, herself.

Finally, Katara lost her patience.

The beginning of the end was when a young Earth Noble (possibly that nut-job who gave her that enormous rock yesterday) cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, "The Water Whip! Do the Water Whip again, Master Katara!"

"I'll give you a Water Whip," she muttered. Scowling, she raised a pillar of water and spun it thinner, faster, until it was perhaps the most impressively-sized Water Whip she had ever created. Then, she turned with every intention of flattening the big-mouthed nobleman. It wouldn't kill him… probably…

She didn't get to find out, though, because, as she began to bring the colossal whip down, a gust of wind sent it veering off course. It crashed with an enormous splash, leaving an unfortunate little ornamental tree stripped naked, leafless.

There was scattered applause. The waterbender seethed.

"Hey, Katara! Having a good practice?"

When she snapped her eyes onto Aang and the others approaching, she was pretty sure her look was less-than-welcoming. The tattooed young man wasn't looking especially friendly, himself, despite his cheerful tone. Katara glanced around, noting that her audience was dissipating and those that remained were too far away to hear them speak.

"Hey, Aang, Suki…" Her eyes narrowed further at Toph and Sokka. "…Traitor and Sneak."

Toph huffed and crossed her arms. "Drama City, here we come…"

"She wouldn't have had to say anything if you had been in your own room, Katara," Aang reminded her hotly.

"Well, she could have _not_ said it in front of my dad. That would've been pretty nice."

Toph pointed a blunt finger. "Look, Sugar Queen, I panicked, alright? I slept all night and never felt you come back, so when I woke up, I figured you were probably off having a great time being dead. I'm sorry your dad found out and you got embarrassed or whatever, but that's just what happens. Those are consequences. Deal with them."

Katara's frown deepened and her fists clenched at her sides, but before she could explode, Sokka chimed in. He pressed a hand to his chest, slung an arm around Suki, and smiled. "Personally, I'm just happy to know that everyone's okay."

"_You_…" The waterbender rounded on her brother, who raised both hands and backed up a half-step, expression alarmed. "You could have at least had the courtesy to tell us _something_ before vanishing all day yesterday. Or maybe you could have been present to see just how angry Dad is at _both_ of us instead of leaving him waiting for me in the lounge, _stewing_. You really owe me one, big brother, because I got a dose for both of us!"

Infuriated, she scrubbed a tear from her cheek and looked away from all of them, crossing her arms over her chest. There was a moment of shocked silence.

Aang was the first to regain speech. "Katara… We were afraid something had happened to you. Can you really blame us for rushing off to find you?"

The waterbender didn't turn back to face them, but her scowl softened. As always, Aang had a point. She shouldn't be mad at her friends, who had only been worried about her… She was just very, very mad – and that kind of anger was difficult to let go of.

"…Dad's really mad at us?"

…huh.

At her brother's surprised tone, she glanced at him sideways. He looked floored, as if this was the shock of the day. Katara released a deep sigh. "He implied that I've compromised myself as a potential ambassador and he doesn't like it that you married by Fire Nation tradition. He thinks you've disrespected our people." She paused a beat and offered a tiny, nearly-apologetic smile. "It was a beautiful wedding, though."

Sokka and Suki both blinked in shock, then shared a smile. His arm slipped back around her shoulders. "Should've known the jerkbender couldn't keep it to himself. Ah well!" He grinned back at Katara. "Glad you could crash it!"

Aang, arms crossed, cut in. "Speaking of… what were you doing with Zuko in the lower district last night, Katara?"

The waterbender's eyes narrowed. She didn't like his inquisitor's tone and she didn't like that he was bringing this up in such a public place, regardless of his quiet voice. "I think you know the answer to that, Aang."

"He mentioned getting shot." His tattooed head shook slowly side-to-side. "It's really dangerous for you to be involved in his stupid, private war."

Aware of the others watching and listening avidly, Katara scowled. "I realize that. It doesn't change the fact that there are injustices that need correcting. You're the Avatar – I should think you would be glad that he's taking such an active role in meting out justice."

"Violence is never the answer, Katara."

"This isn't like Yon Rha, Aang. _Forgiveness_ will not stop people in power from exploiting those under their control. Law and morality haven't stopped them. These are people who have become accustomed over years to doing whatever they want. They have to know that… that there are consequences, now." Her eyes shot to Toph, then back to the Avatar.

He only frowned, sadly. "And what happens when another arrow comes – what happens when a lucky shot ends the Fire Nation's bright, new hope?"

"And you'd have us wait patiently for change? Relying on people's inner urge to be good doesn't guarantee you'll get anywhere, Aang. Sometimes, they need a little push."

Stubborn blue eyes locked with pleading gray and, for a long moment, no one spoke.

"Is it just me…" Sokka glanced between Suki and Toph. "…or does this all seem kind of out-of-nowhere?"

"Nah." Toph waved a hand. "My feet say it's been coming for a while now."

Suki shrugged, expression impassive. "Yeah, I mean, it was pretty obvious that Katara was sneaking out at night, but I guess I thought she was off making out with someone… The crime-fighting is kind of a surprise." She offered a grin and a thumbs-up to Katara, who was frowning at her. "In a good way, though."

Sokka's enormous mouth spread into a smug smile. "Speaking of making out, I hear somebody played kissy-face with the Jerk Lord last night…"

Katara's eye twitched. "He told you that, huh?"

"Oh ho! So you confess!" Her brother pointed at her excitedly. He went on, his tone rolling in the familiar pre-bad-joke windup, "So, tell us since you're an expert now, is kissing a firebender _hotter_ than-"

Suki elbowed him, still valiantly holding onto her grin. "Congratulations, Katara! He seems to really like you!"

Katara's scowl did not ease. She crossed her arms. "Sure he does."

Sokka glanced around the others' perplexed expressions, then back at Katara. "Wait a minute… You mean… Don't you like him, too? Isn't that the point of you two running around together at night?"

"No," she snapped. "The point was justice… and, to a lesser extent, the fun and challenge of doing something with my bending that made a difference." She shook her head, then rubbed her face, smearing the slick tears from her puffy eyes. "The rest was a… bad idea."

She glanced around from Aang's stricken face to Suki and Sokka's shock. Toph's eyebrows were higher than she'd ever seen them go.

The earthbender opened her mouth to say something.

"I've gotta…" Katara whirled on her heel and started making her way toward a little bench, overhung by a cherry-willow. She plunked down on the cool stone of the bench and frowned at the long red fronds that mostly curtained this spot from view.

She wasn't alone long.

Her brother sank his lanky body onto the bench beside her without comment and, after a moment of peering at her while she looked away, he put an arm around her back and pulled her lightly to his side.

Before she knew it, Katara had thrown her arms around him and planted her face against his shoulder, just breathing in his familiar Sokka-smell… like fried sea-prunes and leather. After a moment of patting her back, he laid his chin against the side of her head and spoke in a low voice.

"Katara, I'm so sorry I wasn't there with you to talk to Dad… he seemed tense, but I didn't think he was really _that_ mad."

She sniffed, tried to let the tightness in her chest release. "It's not… _totally_ your fault."

"Yeah, but it wasn't totally your fault either, and you were the only one who had to deal with him. Would it help if we went to talk to him together, later?"

"That might be good."

"Okay. Watch out, Dad – Water Tribe Siblings unite!" He raised one arm to shake a triumphant fist. Katara smiled and pulled out of the hug, leaning one shoulder against his. They stayed that way for a while longer, looking through the trailing red fronds to the lush greenery of the garden beyond.

Sokka turned his head to get a look at her. "Did you really mean that, about it being a mistake with Zuko, or was Dad just really convincing in a loud, angry way?"

Katara sighed. "He was pretty convincing… but he made some really good points, too. I'm not sure I trust Zuko anymore… and, besides… how much good would I be as an ambassador for our people if I'm romantically involved with the leader of the Fire Nation?"

"I think you'd be pretty good – maybe even better." He grinned. "I always kind of thought you _liked_ fighting with Zuko."

She chuckled a little. "Good point."

Sokka waited a long moment. A breeze picked up and the cherry-willow fronds swayed together gently.

"So… _was_ kissing a firebender hotter than-"

* * *

Hakoda, kneeling in Water Tribe fashion in a clear spot on Zuko's office floor, offered a skeptical expression. "And you said this was _Sokka's_ idea?"

Zuko, who now sat cross-legged before the other man, narrowed his eyes off to one side. "Well, he suggested making the marriage seem 'unpolitical' and this is how I have interpreted that."

"I hate it."

"That's… actually not a bad thing."

Hakoda scowled. His split lip had swollen a bit, but the expression was no less fearsome.

Zuko, once again, rubbed the back of his stiff neck. "I'm not saying that I don't want your approval, Chief Hakoda. However, your public resistance would really make the point that this is not a union that the Southern Water Tribe approves of. So… while I hadn't intended for this meeting to escalate to… the level of intensity that it did… that isn't a bad thing, as far as the plan is concerned."

"The plan." Hakoda's blue eyes narrowed and he twisted his jaw to one side – a motion that he had repeated a number of times, leading Zuko to suspect that he had left a dent.

His own eyes narrowed. _Good._

Had he stopped to think about it, he might have been more ashamed of losing the fight. He also might have been more ashamed of allowing Hakoda to draw him into it to begin with.

As it was, Zuko currently felt a lot better than he had. His long list of responsibilities had stopped gnawing on the edges of his conscience. He could think clearly. He felt… pretty good. Apart from the stiff neck. And the place on his good cheek that felt like it might be bruising. And the arrow wound in his shoulder that, despite Katara's healing, felt awfully sore.

Of course, feeling better did not really make dealing with Hakoda any easier. "Yes. The plan. Sokka's idea. My plan."

After another long bout of staring, the older man rubbed one temple. Zuko noticed that his knuckles on that hand were bloody – probably from punching his door… "When I spoke to Katara this morning, I shared my suspicion that you and your uncle had plotted a trap to draw her in. Now, you sit before me and describe this… harebrained scheme to deceive a palace full of witnesses." He tilted his head, frown a bit thoughtful. "…which may very well work… But be that as it may, I wonder… when you pose this idea to my daughter, what will she think of it?" Hakoda looked up again, expression somewhat dry. "And of you?"

Zuko looked away. Worry, like a tiny and ferocious fish, nipped at his confidence.

"I suspect that she won't like it. She does, after all, have dignity." Now it was Hakoda's turn again to look away, brows twitching with something like regret. "…among her many other virtues."

The firebender watched the other man's expression and became fully aware that he was not the only one whose temper had carried him away, today. Hakoda had probably had some harsh words for Katara before he ever came looking for Zuko. The Fire Lord fought to keep a level tone. "I suppose anger makes us all do stupid things."

Hakoda met his gaze with a raised eyebrow and, seemingly out of nowhere, chuckled. "How long do you think it will take for your entire staff to find out that the Fire Lord and the Water Tribe Chief were fighting in the floor like children?"

Zuko smirked. "If they don't know now, I guess they'll figure it out when I have them clean up this mess…"

They shared a quiet laugh. Then, Hakoda's face split into a grin. "Oh! And did you see the look on that guard's face when you told him… Ha ha! Told him you were in a meeting? I thought he was gonna faint…"

* * *

Katara took a deep breath and, raising her fist, knocked firmly on the door she had strode past three or four times already. It wasn't because she was lost. Each time she had walked by, she had watched the door coming, then going, like a leaf on a stream or an unappreciated opportunity.

Sokka and the others had returned to the lounge to await the delivery of lunch – not every meal could be a feast in the dining hall – but the waterbender had begged off, claiming that she wasn't hungry, claiming that she had some business to take care of.

This had to be dealt with. It had to be done directly and honestly and, to this end, she was here, at this door, waiting for an answer.

At last, the door cracked open to reveal a happily surprised face. Katara stood rigidly straight, her expression steely.

"Hello, Yoshu. I need to talk to Former General Iroh."


	18. Chapter 18

AN: Thank you, fabulous reviewers! Remember - even goofy reviews are much appreciated. As are goofy people, in general. ;) Here's a brand-new chapter, just for you! Dramadramadrama! XP

* * *

"He's actually not… uh… He's not here right now, but he'll be back very soon. Please, come in! We…" Yoshu stood aside, holding the door for her and gazing at her as if he might be dreaming. "We can wait for him… together."

Katara, slightly derailed, cleared her throat. "Ah… Okay…" She entered and took a seat at the low table in the center of the room, posture straight and hands carefully placed on her thighs.

Yoshu closed the door and hovered nearby, hands clamped together so hard they turned white. "Would you like some tea? I could make you some tea – Master Iroh says I have 'improved most significantly!'"

"Actually, uh…" Her eyes widened and she glanced to one side, as if to find an escape. "I'm not really…" She caught sight of a small side table along one wall of the room. On it, there were two portraits. The newer one was Zuko – the scar was unmistakable, even from across the room – but the other, a little dog-eared and beginning to yellow with age, was a man she did not know. "Who's that, Yoshu? In the portrait?"

The tea server followed her gaze, hands falling to his sides. "Oh… That's Master Iroh's son, Lu Ten."

Katara's eyebrows shot up. "I didn't know he had a son!"

Yoshu turned back to her with a shrug. "Well, he doesn't talk much about him… Lu Ten died years ago – in the siege on Ba Sing Se."

The waterbender nodded slowly, still staring at the two portraits that Iroh had placed side-by-side. Finally, she drew in a deep breath and frowned down at the table top. "Yoshu… I think I would like that tea you were offering."

"Yes, Master Katara!" The tea server practically leapt across the room, his posture easily conveying his enthusiasm. Katara watched him heat the water and add the leaves, not seeing anything especially wrong with his technique to her own limited knowledge… Maybe Iroh had been honest about Yoshu's tea improving. Still, she began the process of mentally bracing herself… just in case.

In short order, a small, white teapot and a matching cup sat before her, emitting a slow curl of steam. Steeling herself, the waterbender picked up her cup and, under Yoshu's happy green eyes, sipped.

"Oh… Iroh was… right. Your tea has gotten a lot better, Yoshu…"

The young man managed to grin while biting his bottom lip, eyes screwed up with pleasure. "Thank you, Master Katara! It is an honor to serve you tea!"

Katara forced the cup back to her mouth and sipped again. It was true that this was much improved over the toxic sludge she had endured last time… but it still had an intense flavor that made her hair stand on end. She could force a smile and just keep drinking all day, but she couldn't stop the natural reaction. Her eye twitched, slightly as she drained the first cup.

Yoshu immediately leapt forward to refill it, beaming.

Peering over the rim of her second cup, Katara blinked innocently at the tea server. "Yoshu… can I ask you a question?"

The young man's posture straightened and his hands came up beside him in excited fists. "Of course, Master Katara! Anything you want!"

A little smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "It's about Iroh…"

Yoshu's arms went limp and he broke eye contact to gaze at the floor and scratch the back of his head. "It… depends. Master Iroh has been very kind to my brother and me… I don't want to betray his trust… even for…" His green eyes settled again on Katara, a pained look to them.

After sipping her tea (which was stronger than the last) the waterbender set her cup aside and folded her hands in her lap. "I don't want you to do that, either. So, how about this; I'll ask you a question and, if it won't cause any harm to Iroh for me to know the answer, you tell me. Doesn't that sound reasonable?" She gave him a pretty smile.

"I guess so…"

Katara nodded. "It's become clear to me that Iroh has been… planning something. Something involving me that he has not been upfront about. I just want to know what-"

Yoshu's eyes widened, expression a panicky mix of fear, defensiveness, and remorse. "I can't tell you about it. I promised I wouldn't tell anybody about his plan and I won't. I just won't."

With a nod, the waterbender altered her course. "Then can you tell me why he's keeping it from me?"

The tea server looked hesitant. He tugged at one side of his apron.

Katara's brow furrowed and she set her gaze on the round edge of the teapot. "Yoshu… It's very hurtful to me that Iroh, who I have trusted for so long, has been making secret plots to determine the course of my life. What makes it worse is that, right now, it looks to me as if he's doing it for political reasons." She snapped her gaze onto the wide-eyed tea server. "It's controlling and manipulative and I never expected something like that from him. It makes me wonder whether I ever knew him at all."

"Oh, Master Katara… Don't think badly of him!" Yoshu dropped to his knees at the table's edge, green eyes wide and pleading. "Master Iroh only wants you to be happy!"

Katara's frown deepened. "Do I look happy?"

Yoshu blinked at her. "It just… hasn't really started, yet. He's pretty sure you'll be happy when it's all over." He offered a hopeful but weak smile.

The waterbender huffed and looked away, shaking her head slowly. When she spoke, she began softly, but her tone raised as she went on. "I refuse to play his game. I won't be herded like a hippo-cow into a marriage or a political alliance or- or…"

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her tea, sloshing back and forth in its cup, following the motion of her head. She stopped and shut her eyes firmly. Her anger had built up again and was coming out, as it always had, in little bursts of bending. The lack of control was… embarrassing.

When she opened her eyes again, the tea server was still watching her, expression deeply apologetic. Katara forced a weak smile. "Sorry, Yoshu… It's been a hard morning. I didn't mean to… snarl at you."

"It's okay, Master Katara," he said quietly. "I wish I could be more helpful."

"Don't worry about it, Yoshu." She rose to her feet. "Thank you for the tea."

The tea server scrambled to his feet, as well, wide-eyed. "You… you aren't going to wait for Master Iroh to return?"

"I probably shouldn't…"

At that moment, though, the door swept open to reveal not only Iroh, but, preceding him into the room, Zuko. The old firebender was speaking in a reassuring tone and smiling to the younger man.

"…that this is a truly excellent plan." When they spotted her, both stopped and stared with widened yellow eyes. Iroh's smile melted away even as his hand pulled the door shut.

Katara scowled. On the table, her teacup rattled.

* * *

When Zuko had straightened his clothing, smoothed his hair back into its topknot, and found and replaced the Fire Lord's crown, he emerged from his 'meeting' with Hakoda and returned to life as normal. As with any other day, there were many other affairs to be handled.

He delivered a report to Ba Sing Se's Council of Five, detailing the progress of dismantling the Fire Nation's war balloons. Each of the generals took a turn staring, brows raised, at the bruise darkening on the young Fire Lord's cheek. Next, he met with Chief Arnook and the Northern Water Tribe Council… most of whom seemed to have already heard rumors, judging by their self-satisfied smirks.

A proud day for the Water Tribe, indeed.

Inwardly seething, Zuko had still managed to negotiate a wider patrol range for Fire Nation naval vessels in the waters of the North. He entertained the notion that they trusted him more when they knew one of their own could take him in a fight. He also considered sneaking down to the harbor and sinking their ships sometime. Further thought was to be discouraged.

When he finished the last of his morning meetings, Zuko once again emerged to find someone waiting for him. Iroh stared at his face for a long moment before speaking quietly, expression conveying disappointment.

"I had come to think, somehow, that your temper would calm under the mantle of leadership."

"It has." Zuko looked away. "Some complex situations require… diverse solutions."

"Such as the sacrifice of the Fire Lord's dignity?"

"Yes."

Iroh's frown deepened. "You know how our people will look upon that, Zuko. Your rule is young and your opponents are many. It is foolish to allow your subjects to think that you are in any way lacking."

"I agree, uncle. The Fire Nation detests a fool…" Zuko's eyes snapped back to the old man's. His mouth, at one corner, curled slightly upward. "…unless he is a fool with a broken heart."

Iroh's eyes bulged, then settled on a spot on the floor as he tugged his beard thoughtfully. For a long moment, he did not speak.

"Would you mind… if I sat with you for lunch? I would take it in my office, but… my chair broke this morning."

The older man looked up and smiled. "That would be an unexpected pleasure, Fire Lord Zuko. Please." He held out an arm and they began walking slowly down the corridor. After the first turn, Iroh folded his hands together within his wide sleeves and spoke. "I am surprised that Chief Hakoda has agreed to help you in this. From my talks with him, I had come to expect that he would never support this pairing. How did you manage to change his mind, my nephew?"

Zuko clasped his hands behind his back and peered off to the side, away from the older man. "I didn't. He hates the idea, hates my plan to make it socially acceptable to both of our peoples, and, honestly, I think he kind of hates me, too… However, he has acknowledged that the choice belongs to Katara… which is better than nothing, I guess."

Iroh cast him a sideways glance. "I take it, then, that the… incident this morning was not initially a part of your plan. You are lucky that it will fit in so nicely."

"Yeah. Really lucky." Zuko led the way down a spiral staircase, brow furrowed.

His uncle's voice stopped him, mid-step. "Is Katara aware of this strategy?"

The Fire Lord hesitated, but did not turn back. "No. It's… kind of a new idea. We really haven't had a chance to discuss any of this…" He continued down the stairs. "Not even the idea of marriage."

"Zuko…" Iroh's tone held a warning and, an instant later, his hand clamped onto the Fire Lord's mantle. Zuko stopped and looked back at the severe expression on his uncle's face. "You must not wait and you must not assume. It is one thing for a meddling old man to sneak around, trying to bring young people together, but it is quite another for a man to lay plans without consulting the woman he cares for."

Zuko turned away, but nodded before continuing down the stairs. He agreed with his uncle – it was not acceptable to keep his plans from Katara… Besides, without her cooperation, those plans would not work out, anyway. He had to make time to discuss all of this with her… Maybe his assistant could schedule a meeting?

Zuko, stepping off the bottom stair, pinched the bridge of his nose. Hakoda had it right – harebrained was the word for this entire business. For Agni's sake, the whole plan was based on one of Sokka's off-the-wall suggestions… _Sokka_, who flew them into the Boiling Rock without an escape plan.

It suddenly occurred to the firebender that, after the fight with Hakoda, there was no going back. If he failed to carry out the illusion, his people would assume he had no dignity and would probably lose all respect for him.

His lip curled. _Sokka_…

Iroh, beside him, spoke gently. "Do not be discouraged, my nephew. I am sure that all will end well."

Zuko began walking the short distance to his uncle's suite, shaking his head. "Unless Katara decides that she doesn't want to play this stupid game. Chief Hakoda certainly didn't like it – she may feel the same way."

"Ah, my nephew…" Iroh stopped in front of his door and smiled reassuringly at Zuko. "Katara is a very intelligent and rational woman. I do not doubt that, after a thorough explanation, she will come to agree…" He pulled the door open. "…that this is a truly excellent plan."

Zuko stepped through the doorway, then pulled up short. Between the door and the low table stood Katara, her expression livid. Her hands, fisted at her sides, trembled slightly. For the third time that day, fierce blue eyes locked on him.

The door shut. Zuko swallowed.

When she spoke, her voice started out jarringly soft, as if the anger in her stance was just an illusion. "A truly excellent plan," she enunciated slowly. "Is this, oh, the plan to forge an alliance between the Fire Nation and the Southern Water Tribe? Or are we discussing the plan to cement that alliance with a marriage?" Her eyes narrowed further and her voice became a sort of growl. "Or is this the plan where you trick me into liking you _again_ so that you can use me to reclaim your country's honor? Isn't that your _goal_, Fire Lord Zuko?"

"I… No!" Zuko, wide-eyed, stared at her. Surely she hadn't taken one poorly thought-out comment of his and blown it into this level of rage. Surely, something else must have happened to get her this angry…

After a moment of silence, his uncle gave him a little push forward. "It is time for you to explain, Zuko."

"Actually…" Katara's glare snapped to the other firebender. "I came here to talk to you, Former General Iroh. I want to know what sort of scheme _you've_ cooked up to decide my future and I want to know why you couldn't just talk to me as if I was an adult instead of having veiled conversations with my father."

Zuko's jaw clenched. Hakoda had mentioned talking to Katara that morning. The man's anger was contagious.

On the table, the teapot and its tiny, matching cup shuddered. Yoshu, with a sideways glance at the agitated tea, took a large step away.

Iroh moved around Zuko and stood facing the angry waterbender squarely. He folded his hands into his sleeves and spoke in a grave tone. "I did not mean to cause you offense, Master Katara. I am an old man and old men are constantly doing things that young people do not like. I kept my own council because I had hoped not to drive either you or my nephew away from the idea, just because it was not your own." He smiled slightly. "I hope you will join us for lunch, so that we may discuss this matter in more detail."

Zuko glanced back and forth between his uncle and Katara as the waterbender thought this over. Iroh held his tiny, hopeful smile. Katara's eyes narrowed as she analyzed him sharply. Then, her eyes cut over to Zuko. For an instant, he thought she was going to threaten him again, like she had at the Air Temple more than a year ago, now, but she just looked away, her lip curling a little in what may have been disgust. At last, she spoke.

"I am kind of hungry."

* * *

AN: Boy, I've gotta tell you... I don't like all this heavy drama. It's not as fun to write as that bit with Yoshu. I would avoid it if I could, but I'm really not sure how... unless I just do a 'and they all got a good night's sleep and felt sooo much better the next day' cheat-out... Ah well. The drama will be over soon.


	19. Chapter 19

AN: Thanks, review-giving junkies! I hope this new (and longer) chapter makes for a good buzz. Which reminds me of another funny comic... (http:/rufftoon(dot)deviantart(dot)com/gallery/#/d2jm1tk)

senbo-sama: If you draw that scene, I promise to you that I will bounce in my writing chair like a squeeing goober for no less than ten minutes. I would be that excited. (Also... and not to be demanding, but... where's the next page of Descry? Five pages in and that comic is already so engaging! *want*)

* * *

Katara sat at the low table, fingers wrapped around a fresh cup of Yoshu's nearly-not-horrible tea. By the door, Iroh was writing out a note for the kitchen staff and giving additional instructions to his tea server-turned-messenger.

Not quite far enough away, Zuko sat, frowning into his own cup as if he expected to find a dead bug in the bottom. He kept glancing at her like he intended to say something, but Katara determinedly kept her gaze on the teapot and her expression calm.

Finally, he spoke, voice pitched low. "This is… really bad tea."

"High praise coming from the master…" Katara muttered as she sipped from her own cup.

He frowned at her. She frowned back.

"Look," he started, setting one hand up on its edge against the table. "I haven't been plotting against you, okay? I'm not trying to _trick_ you into liking me and, if you'll remember, there wasn't really a first time when I tried that, either."

"Ba Sing Se!" Her tea sloshed in her cup even though her hands were still.

Zuko raised his hands in an angry, helpless gesture. "I was confused! I made a mistake! I thought I had redeemed myself to you already… what is it going to take, Katara?"

She sat rigidly and took a few deep breaths, glaring at him. It was a struggle to remember in this moment, through all this anger, that Zuko really had redeemed himself and that he had earned her friendship and trust. Katara sighed and turned her glare to her teacup. "You can start by explaining this 'excellent plan.'"

"Okay." He said, sounding relieved. "I can do that."

The door shut behind Yoshu and Iroh strolled across the room and into one of the bedrooms, carefully averting his eyes. "I'll just give you two a minute," he said quietly as he closed the door.

Katara turned her focus to Zuko and raised an eyebrow, but he didn't seem to notice. The firebender frowned thoughtfully down at his teacup for a moment more before speaking.

"I _have_ to get married, Katara. I don't want to, but I have to. Continuing the line of succession is the only way to ensure that Azula never returns to power and the other nations need to know that I am devoted to keeping peace. I am the Fire Lord – it is my duty."

He turned to look at her, as if to check his progress, and Katara was struck by the image of him, then. He sat with a straight back and the black and gold points of his shoulders curled upward dramatically, but his throat peeked through the tall collar, pale and somehow vulnerable. His hair was not quite in place, a few strands jagging out where they should not, but the royal ornament gleamed, sharp and golden. Like his eyes.

There was a bruise on his cheek that Katara could not remember being there, this morning. Was that from the previous night? She hadn't _dropped_ him, so she was fairly sure it wasn't…

He must have spotted her eyes narrowing in thought, because he looked away and went on. "I didn't really even… think of you as a candidate for marriage until last night, when I met with your father. Uncle Iroh had apparently said something that…" He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

Shaking his head, he looked up. "The end result being that Chief Hakoda told me in no uncertain terms that he would not allow it, for political as well as personal reasons. In particular, he did not want to give the impression that the Southern Water Tribe was changing its practices to allow marriage for political gain."

Katara nodded. This was the rational Hakoda she knew, putting forth a very valid point.

Zuko went on. "This morning, when your brother and the others came to me, looking for you-"

"Oh yes…" Katara cut in, eyes narrowing. "I had intended to thank you for the opportunity to hear Sokka's full collection of 'is kissing a firebender hotter' jokes."

His eyes widened and his good cheek started turning a little pink. "He has those?"

The waterbender rolled her eyes. "You underestimate the extent of his comedic genius…" she said drily before frowning. "So _thanks_ for that."

"I'm sorry, Katara… it just… slipped out." He rubbed the back of his neck, peering down at the table. "I got kind of worked up… Aang was asking questions and Toph was doing the lie-detector thing and Sokka was trying to jump me…"

Katara watched his face for a moment, then allowed a short laugh. He looked up at her hopefully. "You know…" She gave him a half-smile. "I didn't realize it for a long time… but our friends can be really obnoxious when they want to be."

"Oh?" Zuko smirked. "I knew that right from the beginning."

"Cute…" She smirked back, then forced a harder expression. "Now. Finish your story – and get to the 'excellent plan,' already."

"Right… I mentioned your father's stance on things to Sokka and he said something about making marriage look 'unpolitical'… I mean, after he told me that it was dishonorable to kiss you if I wasn't going to marry you and…" He glanced at her, then looked away again.

"Anyway, the plan… I started thinking about marriages that aren't political… scandals, true love… I realized that having so many nobles from so many courts all together in one palace is a breeding ground for rumors. One person starts whispering about secret trysts and an angry father and, before you know it, everyone has heard the story. That easily, we can side-step the Southern Water Tribe's resistance to political marriage."

When he noticed that Katara was frowning at him, he shrugged and continued with less confidence. "…If you want to, I mean."

Katara went on frowning, but she raised an eyebrow. "And that's your plan?"

"Yes." He offered her a nervous grin.

"You want to fool all of these diplomats and officials into thinking that we're having some kind of sordid affair and then, once the scandal really heats up, get married?"

Zuko blinked. "Yes."

Her frown deepened. "Well, I see a problem right off – might not seem important to you right now, but it'll get more so as you proceed…"

His eyes widened slightly. "What's that?"

Katara crossed her arms and sat still for a long moment, meeting his uncertain yellow eyes.

In the adjoined room, Iroh began coughing loudly. It sounded almost as though he was standing next to the door… "Ahem her! Haskher!"

Zuko frowned at the door for a second before realization spread over his face. "Oh." He looked at Katara and, swallowing, asked. "Will you marry me?"

Her expression did not change, though her eyes rolled skyward for a second before resettling on him.

This was… unbelievable. Unbelievable, yet Katara somehow had trouble imagining that there might be another, more devious plan concealed under it. Zuko usually seemed so smart and now, here he was, trying to follow one of Sokka's stupid half-plans. It was becoming increasingly clear to Katara that the firebender really did need his uncle's help.

"If I said no…" His expression fell and a light of near-panic came into his eyes. "What would you do, then?"

"I… I guess I would… attend tea parties…" Katara raised an eyebrow. "…and hope to find some noblewoman who wants her own bedroom." Zuko peered down at the table, envisioning his bleak fate. "And my people will probably mock me for a fool for-"

"Oh, stop it. I'm not saying no – not just yet, anyway." The firebender's expression brightened immediately and he looked back up at her. Katara shrugged. "I'm not saying yes, either, though, so don't get too excited. I'm still kind of… I'm not sure what to think of all this. Or of you."

Zuko just stared at her for a long moment. "Is there anything I can do to convince you?"

"Well…" The waterbender frowned again, though more out of thoughtfulness than displeasure this time. "You could start by agreeing to never plan things like this with Sokka instead of me ever, ever again."

"We didn't exactly plan together…"

"I don't care. He made a contribution and I didn't." She held up a finger, shaking her head. "Not okay."

"Uh… It won't happen again?" He offered an apologetic smile.

Katara nodded. "Good." She met his warm, yellow eyes for a moment and had just opened her mouth to list further demands when they were interrupted.

The door opened to reveal Yoshu, who ushered in a servant pushing a cart loaded with food. Iroh emerged from the adjoined bedroom, a wide smile taking up his face. "Ah, good! I do love Fire Nation spicy noodles. You know, in Ba Sing Se, there is a little noodle shop…"

The waterbender stopped listening to Iroh's lengthy noodle story at almost the exact moment that a bowl of food was placed before her. Having missed breakfast and spent most of the morning practicing, she was fiercely hungry and the oily, spicy smell of the noodles drew her into a kind of daze. There were chopsticks and noodles and very little else for a while.

Then, she looked up at Zuko.

He looked… happy – and Katara was fairly sure that it wasn't because he just really liked noodles. He seemed to be trying not to smile too much and, every now and then, his eyes would flick up to her, then back to his bowl. When his gaze met hers, he offered her a hopeful smile.

She still wasn't entirely sure she trusted him… but it was difficult to believe that somebody who ate his noodles using the suction power of his mouth more than his chopsticks was actually a master manipulator…

When she really stopped to think about it, Katara was kind of shocked to find that she was actually considering marrying Zuko. Not only that, she was thinking about helping him with this dumb, Sokka-born plan, which would probably end up very embarrassing for her, personally. Of course, she still felt she was owed some convincing before she committed to anything...

Once her bowl was empty, Katara turned her gaze back to Iroh, who was coming to the end of his story. Yoshu sat in the last empty space at the table, listening avidly.

"…And that is why one must never order the chef's surprise at Ba Sing Se Noodle."

"Thank you for your wisdom, Master Iroh. I will not forget this lesson."

"Then you honor the teller of the story." Iroh smiled hugely and patted his belly. Yoshu beamed. On the edge of her peripheral vision, the waterbender caught Zuko rolling his eyes.

Sensing that this was her moment, Katara cut in. "Former General Iroh, I would like to hear about your plans, now."

After a brief, surprised expression, the old firebender smiled again. "I have only one, most excellent idea of my own and I cannot tell it to you." Katara's eyes narrowed. He held out his hands, placating. "I don't want to ruin the surprise for my nephew!"

Zuko looked up from his noodles. "What surprise?"

Iroh folded his hands into his sleeves. "I have already told you about the first phase of my plan, Zuko – the tea party, which I'm sure you remember. Beyond that, I will not deny you the joy of wandering blindly through love as young people do." His gaze turned upward, a little wistful.

"Oh…" Zuko peered down at his noodle bowl for a moment before looking back to his uncle, eyes widening in hope. "But, if Katara agrees to marry me, there won't be any need for tea parties."

Iroh's expression sank with genuine disappointment. Katara sighed and crossed her arms. "I haven't exactly said yes, yet…"

Zuko's focus switched to her, a hint of the panic from earlier creeping into his eyes. Iroh looked delighted. "Ah, then it would be most beneficial to continue with my most excellent idea and hold a fine tea party… I wonder if it could be done today…" He tugged his beard thoughtfully.

"Katara…" Zuko glanced significantly at his scheming uncle, then back to the waterbender. "Please?"

"Yoshu, have you finished the invitations?" The younger man made an excited sound and scurried into another room.

Ignoring Iroh for the moment, Katara frowned at the other firebender. "You do realize that you're asking me to make a decision that will resonate through my entire life, right? I think you can survive a tea party while I think it over."

Yoshu came back into the room at a run. Zuko seemed not to notice. "You don't understand. Uncle will-"

"Ah! Excellent work, Yoshu!" Iroh peered into the basket and pulled out what appeared to be a red paper heart. "These will stir the romantic fantasies of every lady who receives one! Go, Yoshu!" The old man pointed at the door. "Go and spread the flames of passion!"

Yoshu, grinning happily, went.

Zuko stared after him as if he expected the tea server to actually set the palace on fire.

Iroh, with another of his wide smiles, handed the paper heart to Katara. "You are officially invited to Fire Lord Zuko's tea party!"

The waterbender frowned down at the invitation. The paper was thick between her fingers, of obviously high quality, but the heart was not entirely symmetrical and the edges had little notches where the scissors must have caught. On one side, stamped in darker red, was the insignia of the Fire Nation. On the other side, there was a note.

"Dear Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe,

I regret that we have not yet had time to speak privately, but I have  
noticed your striking beauty from afar since your arrival. I would be  
most honored if you might grace me with your presence at a small tea  
social, to be held today at three hours past noon in my personal lounge.

With warmest regards,  
Fire Lord Zuko"

Iroh wove his fingers together over his belly, looking proud. "Zuko, of course, did not have the time to write out each invitation himself, so I had Yoshu make them. I think he did an admirable job."

Katara cast a skeptical glance at Iroh before turning her gaze to Zuko. She blinked. He had a fierce frown on his face and his right eye appeared to be twitching. He raised a hand and pointed at his uncle.

"This-! You-! Insubordination!"

Iroh shrugged. His tone was light. "Family business."

"I didn't authorize _any_ of this!"

The old man nodded, still calm in the face of Zuko's frustration. "I deemed it necessary to take certain liberties. Swift mobilization is a key component in the pursuit of victory, Fire Lord Zuko."

The younger man scowled. "But Katara just needs time to-"

A frown creased Iroh's face and he spoke over his nephew. "You cannot rely on Katara to choose as you want her to, Zuko. She has every right to make this decision in her own time. _You_ do not have the luxury of time. You must be prepared to move in another direction if your original course is blocked."

The waterbender watched Zuko's expression shift from anger to bitter acceptance as he frowned down at the floor at his side. He rubbed the back of his neck.

"But!" Iroh raised a finger and smiled at Katara. "We of course hope that you will attend and enjoy some tea while you think it over."

She once again looked down at the invitation in her hands. "Well…" A smile spread over her face and she cast a glance at Zuko, who was watching her from the corner of his eye. "I've never been to a Fire Lord's tea party, before…" Her gaze snapped back to Iroh as something important occurred to her.

"Who's making the tea?"

* * *

After thanking Iroh for lunch and sharing a moment of searching eye-contact with Zuko, Katara made her way back to her dormitory. She and Sokka had some family business of their own to take care of; he had agreed to meet her back in the lounge after lunch so that they could find Hakoda and talk to him together.

Of course, the minute she opened the door, Katara realized that that would no longer be necessary.

"-that one wedding is as good as another, Dad. Were we supposed to choose Southern Water Tribe tradition over Kyoshi Island and just pretend that Suki's culture didn't exist? Would _that_ have made you happy?" Sokka raised his arms with the question, irate.

Hakoda stood with his arms crossed and an obstinate expression on his face, but he didn't answer. His blue eyes settled on Katara. She let the door close behind her.

At the noise, Sokka turned and spotted her. His posture relaxed a bit and he settled his hands on his hips. "Hey, Katara. How was business?"

"It was good." The waterbender approached her family and stood with them, asserting herself as a part of this discussion – this was Water Tribe politics. This, she knew. "I talked with Former General Iroh and Zuko and I feel like I have a better grasp of the situation, now. What's going on?"

Hakoda's frown had deepened at the mention of the firebenders, but his tone was level when he spoke. "Sokka and I are discussing his marriage. He tells me that he and Suki decided on a Fire Nation wedding to maintain balance within their relationship."

"And," Sokka put in with a raised eyebrow and a casually lifted hand. "The choice of the future leader of the Southern Water Tribe to marry by the customs of a former enemy indicates appreciation for that ex-enemy's culture. Am I right?" He glanced between his father and his sister.

Hakoda harrumphed quietly but did not disagree. Katara nodded slowly, thinking. "Actually, that makes sense. The Fire Nation and the Southern Water Tribe now have the opportunity to forge an alliance – not just with trading or marriages, but with respect for one another's cultures."

She looked up at her brother's smug smile and her father's concerned frown and went on. "If the Fire Nation sees me as a hero, as I'm told, and demand for trade with our people is high, that's indicative of a change in the common perception of the Water Tribe. For so long, the Fire Nation has believed us to be weak and wanted nothing from our people but complete submission. Now…"

Katara allowed a slow grin to spread over her face as the possibilities became clear in her mind. "Now, they have seen a waterbender save the life of their Fire Lord. They know that we aren't weak and they're looking closer. If we seize this opportunity and show them the proud culture behind our people, we could change the way our countries relate, permanently."

Hakoda and Sokka were both staring at her, blinking. Sokka recovered first and a satisfied grin took over his face as well. "…which is exactly what _I_ was thinking."

Their father shot him a skeptical glance before looking back at Katara. "That's a very interesting idea, Katara."

She met his eyes, but did not thank him. Rather, her smile faded and she crossed her own arms over her chest. "You mean it's an interesting idea coming from a young woman with such poor judgment that you do not trust her to be out at night with a man."

He blinked, his eyebrows turning slightly upward as the barb sank in. He looked away, a little shame flushing his expression. "I… No. I mean that it's an insightful take on the situation, coming from anyone." His blue eyes turned back to her and cast over her face in a way that seemed to take in her pronounced cheekbones, her beaded locks. "I'm sorry that I failed to trust you, Katara. You are a grown woman, with every right to make your own decisions and the intelligence to make them well." He glanced to Sokka, then back to her. "You and your brother have both been walking your own path for a long time, already. I forget that, sometimes."

Hakoda looked down, frowning thoughtfully and slowly shaking his head. "And… I'm sorry for losing my temper. It's very hard to stop suspecting the Fire Nation's motives and, when I thought you were being taken advantage of, I reacted… very poorly."

Sokka snorted, then cupped his chin thoughtfully. "I don't know… I'll bet you and Zuko both worked out a _lot_ of frustration in that 'secret meeting' I heard the lunch ladies whispering about…"

"Secret meeting?" Katara glanced back and forth between her brother's smirk and her father's frown. Hakoda's eyes squeezed shut and he rubbed his temple – he seemed to be undergoing some kind of pained regret… and his knuckles were scabbed over. And his lip looked a little swollen, now that Katara was looking.

Secret meeting with Zuko… Zuko's bruised cheek.

Katara's jaw dropped in disbelief and her hands planted on her hips. "Oh, for Yue's sake – did you pick a fight with Zuko?"

Sokka leaned closer, grinning. "The lunch ladies said Dad won. I was kind of surprised because, you know, the jerkbender's really pretty quick, but I guess there's no competing with Water Tribe tactical brilliance."

"_Dad_!" He looked up at her, expression on the brink of shame. Katara held out her hands, incredulous. "You're supposed to be an adult and a respected leader of our people and you… you… you _beat up_ our host? What were you thinking?"

He frowned, looking down in thought. "I was thinking the way a father does when he doesn't trust the man showing interest in his daughter. I was stupid and impulsive." He met her eyes again. "For men my age, who have fought this war their whole lives, accepting that the Fire Nation's tricks have ended is a very hard thing to do. However…" His posture straightened somewhat and he clasped his hands behind his back. "You make a very good point about our countries learning to respect one another and I am coming to understand that it will take the trust of people much younger than me to get a change of that magnitude started."

He nodded to her and went on. "If you have heard the Fire Lord's proposition and you believe it is worth pursuing, I will do my best to respect your right to decide for yourself."

Katara stood back, crossing her arms over her chest again and met her father's eyes for a long moment. Finally, she offered him a small smile, a little piece of forgiveness.

"I've decided to think about it."

* * *

AN: Ah, this chapter is such a relief... comedic episodes and sexyninjatimes, here we come!

Up next: Iroh's Most Excellent Plan, Phase I - The Tea Party...


	20. Chapter 20

AN: Holy cow. So many reviews in one night! How do you do it, reviewers? Thank you! Especially, super big thanks to those who give me thoughtful analysis of what's working and what's not - you guys RULE!

Also, extra-special super-ultra thanks to senbo-sama, who decided to make me the happiest dork around by making THIS: (http:/senbo-sama(dot)deviantart(dot)com/art/I-M-IN-A-MEETING-180830902)

Thank you! I love you! Lemons!

* * *

Women, all around him, were giggling.

It was like some kind of nightmare. The only thing that could have made it _more_ like a nightmare was if he had forgotten to wear clothes.

Zuko stood in the midst of his lounge, pink-cheeked and surrounded by clusters of female nobles and dignitaries who all sat daintily on mats, sipping tea and watching him. He was supposed to find the next woman on his list, but she somehow eluded him.

Iroh and Yoshu moved around the room with pots of steaming tea and plates of almond cookies, both wearing the same accursed, happy-to-serve smile. Just when Zuko had begun to think that the next woman had chosen not to attend, his uncle glided past behind him.

"By the door, nephew."

The Fire Lord frowned as he made his way across the sitting area. Somehow, Iroh had memorized the order of candidates… though there didn't seem to be any logic behind that order, as far as Zuko could tell. The old man must have put a lot of thought into this.

"Thank you for attending my tea party, Lady Lo Kang. Would it please you to come with me so that we may talk more privately?" The scripted words made Zuko's mouth feel sour. This was _so_ stupid…

"Of course, Fire Lord Zuko." The noblewoman blushed prettily and covered her tiny smile with her fingertips, but her eyes were cunning. Zuko fought back the urge to scowl. This was the same woman who had flicked tuber bits at Katara just last night, who had been so blatantly rude…

If _Zuko_ had been in charge, she would not have been invited to the tea party. Actually, there wouldn't even _be_ a tea party…

"This way, Lady Lo Kang."

He led her from the main sitting area to a small, round table near the windows. The room was divided by a paper screen, making this area somewhat secluded. The table was just big enough to hold a plate of cookies and, on either side, there was a mat for sitting. Zuko held out a hand to indicate that the noblewoman should have a seat before stepping around the table and sitting as well.

He looked at her, his back rigid and expression stern, and asked the first of Iroh's stupid questions. "If you were a tree, what sort of tree would you be?"

Lady Lo Kang blinked at him, seemingly unfazed, and whipped out a paper fan to flutter below her face. "I would be a graceful cherry-willow and spend the rest of my days in the Fire Lord's garden."

"That's fascinating. What sort of activities do you enjoy?"

"I like to host dinner parties with distinguished guests and ensure that each visitor receives only the best hospitality. I also enjoy poetry, dancing, and…" Her lips curled upward at their corners and her tone became ever-so-slightly sultry. "…long, mineral oil massages."

Zuko blinked. He couldn't really do anything to stop the mental image. It was just… there. He cleared his throat, cast his narrowed eyes to one side, and pressed on. "The Fire Lady has many responsibilities, including the upholding of social justice for the people of the Fire Nation. What measures would you take to perform that duty?" His eyes napped back onto the noblewoman.

Now, it was Lady Lo Kang's turn to blink. "I… I suppose I would… start a soup kitchen?"

"That may feed some of the hungry. What would you do for all of the female workers who have been pushed out of their jobs after the return of the soldiers?"

"I… would…" The fan stopped fluttering and a furrow came between her brows. "The _Fire Lady_ deals with that sort of thing?"

"Yes. Next question. What is your favorite color?"

She stared at him for a second, then shrugged. "Purple."

Zuko smirked. This was the only good part about this whole, stupid affair. "I'm sorry, Lady Lo Kang, but I don't think we're compatible. Please return to the sitting area and enjoy another cup of tea before you take your leave."

Her face pinched into a tiny frown and, as she hurriedly rose, she hissed, "Your tea tastes like pond water, anyway."

Zuko raised a benevolent hand. "All compliments may be paid to tea server Yoshu."

She huffed and stalked away. They didn't _all_ leave that angry… Actually, a lot more went with disillusioned expressions on their faces that made Zuko wonder whether the tea party was just an exercise in futility. He wasn't sure whether they lost interest because of the mundane setting, the stupid questions, or the opportunity to get a good look at his scar…

He could have solved two out of three problems by holding this function in the throne room – the wall of fire would have thrown him into shadow and added an element of excitement that seemed to be lacking, here… Of course, the questions would still be stupid.

Zuko sighed and took a moment to rub the back of his neck. It had gotten stiffer as the day wore on. During the two meetings between lunch and this… fiasco, he had had to constantly fight the urge to squirm in an effort to put an end to the throb of strained muscle.

The fact that the tea party had already lasted longer than the hour Iroh had estimated was a source of increasing frustration to Zuko. He had already had to miss a meeting with the second-tier Ba Sing Se nobles for the afternoon – though most had expressed some appreciation of the effort he was making to find a wife.

With a sigh, the Fire Lord pulled the scrap of paper from beneath his sitting mat and scanned down to the next name. His eyes widened slightly. Had she even come?

After tucking the list back under his mat, Zuko rose and strode back to the dwindling group of women, eyes searching. It took a moment, but he found her off to one side, kneeling in Water Tribe fashion and watching him over the rim of her cup. Really, it was surprising that he hadn't noticed her – she was the only woman present in blue. Maybe she had arrived late.

With a smile tugging one corner of his mouth, Zuko approached the waterbender. "Thank you for attending my tea party, Master Katara. Would it please you to come with me so that we may talk more privately?"

"Sounds good." Katara swiftly set her mostly-full cup aside and rose to her feet with the sort of smooth grace that was typical of her bending style. She didn't look especially happy but, as he led her back behind the screen, Zuko couldn't help the tiny smile creeping across his face. If she was here, she must still be thinking about marrying him…

He gestured to her sitting mat and watched her sink to the floor. She still wasn't smiling. His stomach sank with her.

…unless she had come to tell him 'no.'

Yellow eyes wide, Zuko took his own seat and met Katara's gaze. She waited a moment, then raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you supposed to ask me questions or something?"

"Oh. Uh, right…" Zuko cleared his throat and looked down at the plate of cookies. In a voice made quiet by embarrassment, he asked, "If you were a tree, what sort of tree would you be?"

There was a moment of silence, followed by a soft snort of laughter. He looked up. Katara was half-smiling at him and leaning forward slightly as if expecting him to let her in on the joke. "Seriously? You've asked all these women that question?"

Zuko frowned. "Uncle said that it would give me an idea of how well each candidate thought on her feet."

With a final, soft chuckle, the waterbender sat back and shrugged. "Alright… I guess I'll play along with that…" She squinted and turned her eyes upward in thought. "I would be… a peach-orange tree, like the ones that grow along the streams near Omashu. They give a lot of fruit and I would want to be the sort of tree that fed a lot of travelers."

The firebender nodded, smirking. "Leave it to you to feed a bunch of strangers. Next question. What sort of activities do you enjoy?"

"Helping people." Katara raised a challenging eyebrow and crossed her arms. "I like to practice my bending, though not so much with an audience. I like to dress up, sometimes…" A secretive smile tugged at one corner of her mouth. "I like going out at night."

Zuko's heart did a little jump. He held her eyes for a long moment. Did… did that mean…?

"Next question." She snagged a cookie from the plate between them. The way her mouth opened while she looked him in the eye made his blood heat. The edge of the cookie slid between her lips. Zuko stared.

"Uhm… The Fire Lady has lots of responsibilities… like… social justice. How would you do that?"

Her brow furrowed as she chewed. "How would I encourage social justice?"

Zuko rubbed his eyes with one hand. "Yeah."

"Well… to solve a problem, you have to know what the problem is. In my village, we meet regularly to discuss issues of importance to everyone – I guess I would bring that principal here and start with regular audiences with citizens who have complaints." She took another bite of cookie and shrugged. "That's how I'd do it, anyway."

Zuko turned his gaze to the table in an effort to ignore her lips. If he came off as stupid, she probably wouldn't be interested in trying to run a country with him… "To an extent, we do that already. Local magistrates hear complaints weekly and write reports for the Fire Lady… or they did, when there was a Fire Lady…" He waved a hand to dismiss the subject. "How would you help the female workers who lost their jobs when the soldiers returned from overseas?"

Katara's eyes had widened for an instant at his casual mention of his mother but, assumedly deciding that this wasn't the time to ask, she shrugged. "Create more jobs? When the men returned to the village, we didn't have a problem with dividing the work because we immediately started building. Everyone had something to do." She narrowed her eyes. "Actually, I might start by hiring a committee to clean the alleys in this city. They're gross – and I don't just mean a little dusty."

"Funds are short."

"Then maybe someone _else_ should hire the committee…" Katara's smirk made the meaning clear; 'someone' owed the city money. 'Someone' could afford to be a philanthropist.

Zuko smirked in answer. "What's your favorite color?"

Katara rolled her eyes. "Blue."

"Marry me?"

"Still thinking about it." She snatched another cookie and trained a suspicious eye on him. "What happened to your face?"

Zuko's shoulders slumped slightly and his hand automatically shot to his bruised cheek. "I, uh…"

A war was raging in the firebender's mind, punctuated by explosive realizations. Firstly, he did not want to admit to having lost his temper and fought with Katara's father, because she would probably think he lacked self-control. Also, confessions were embarrassing.

Secondly, with the rumor already spread through most of the palace, it wouldn't be long before she found out anyway and, if he _didn't_ tell her now, she would think he was being deceptive when she finally figured it out.

Thirdly, if he told her exactly what happened and that Hakoda had really been the one who started it, she might think he was making excuses or complaining in hopes of some sort of retribution.

"I… accidentally bumped into your father."

Katara frowned. "With your face?"

"Well…" He looked down and rubbed his neck again. "Other things, too, really. I guess it wasn't exactly an accident. I kind of… might have lost my temper and… I guess he kind of did, too… and we might have… gotten carried away." He glanced up at her. She still looked skeptical, so he looked back down at the cookies and opened his mouth to go on.

"You _could_ just say my dad beat you up, you know."

"He didn't _beat me up_!" Zuko's eyes narrowed and shot up to assess Katara's expression, which was dry and unimpressed. Realizing that the volume of his voice had exceeded the level appropriate for discretion, he glanced at the screen and went on more quietly, though irritation was still obvious in his tone. "You already knew – why ask me?"

"I wanted to see if you'd give me a straight answer." She raised an eyebrow, looking a little irritated herself. "Good job," she said, sarcastically.

He crossed his arms. "Well, getting baited into a fistfight isn't exactly the kind of thing I enjoy owning up to."

"Embarrassed? You should be."

"Yeah, actually – I am." Zuko scowled, then took a deep breath and looked down, once again rubbing his neck. "I don't know how that kind of thing is viewed in the Water Tribes, but the Fire Nation duels in the Agni Kai – other fights are considered uncivilized. When word gets out that the Fire Lord was in a fistfight with the ruler of another country – and, worse, _lost_ – I'd ordinarily be a laughing stock among my people."

Katara's frown had vanished. Now, her eyes were wide with concern. She tilted her head slightly with a question. "Ordinarily?"

"It's… a little different, since Chief Hakoda is your father." Zuko met the waterbender's eyes and offered a half-shrug. "It'll look like he forbade me to court you and I lost all reason and attacked him… which… to my people, would actually come across as pretty romantic."

Realization spread over her face and she nodded slowly. "Ah… the broken-hearted Fire Lord fights for his love? Your uncle mentioned something about that. Of course…" Her face took on a thoughtful expression. "It wouldn't look as good if I refused to marry you after all that."

Zuko swallowed and offered up a sheepish smile. "Yeah… I guess it wouldn't…"

Katara looked at him for a long moment, then frowned thoughtfully. "I'm not so sure that I like your plan."

His smile faded. "What's wrong with it?"

"Mostly, it's the sordid affair bit…" The waterbender waved a hand, shrugging. "I mean… if I did decide to marry you and became Fire Lady…" She squinted skyward as if trying to envision it. "…I'm not sure that I want to be remembered throughout Fire Nation history as Fire Lady Katara, who got caught fooling around in the corridors."

Zuko blinked, taken aback. This hadn't really occurred to him… but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing; after all, if she was looking this closely for flaws in his plan, that must mean she was running out of reasons to say 'no.'

He smiled hopefully and spoke in a low tone. "We wouldn't have to be _too_ obvious about it. I mean… we could just-"

"Fire Lord Zuko?"

Iroh peered around the edge of the screen behind Katara and Zuko's hopeful smile faded. The old man was obviously trying not to grin as hard as he wanted to. "If you have finished asking Master Katara the questions, perhaps it is time to move on to the next candidate." His eyes closed against the force of his smile, fully unleashed. "After all, the afternoon is short and there are _so many_ ladies left to-"

"Alright, Uncle… just… one minute?"

Iroh nodded and withdrew. Katara smirked a little as she took one more cookie from the plate. "So many ladies for Fire Lord Zuko…"

He frowned, not sure what she was implying.

The smirk faded as she held her blue eyes on him, and then was replaced with a brighter sort of smile. "We're having a Water Tribe celebration dinner for Sokka and Suki tonight and that kind of thing usually lasts until pretty late. I'll come to you, after. While you're waiting, you can think of an answer to _my_ question." She rose smoothly to her feet. "Apart from the politics and all the obvious, practical reasons – why do you want me, Zuko?"

The firebender blinked. Katara took a bite of cookie and, with a little wave, walked around the screen and out of his line of sight.

For a long moment, Zuko sat on his mat, staring at the place where she had stood. Then, Iroh's face reappeared. The Fire Lord sighed and climbed to his feet.

"Many ladies… right."

* * *

The rest of the tea party was torture, as was to be expected.

After, Zuko attended other meetings, other kinds of discussions. He sat in on a talk between delegates from Earth Kingdom port towns and some significant Water Tribe traders, listening and offering the Fire Nation navy as protection against pirates.

As he said the words, formal and sophisticated but bearing that same meaning, he thought about Katara.

When the meetings were over for the night, he ate dinner alone in his room while reading over summarized financial reports, trying to pick a good target for the evening… but his mind was soaked, saturated with Katara. Eventually, he sent the remains of his rice and dragon-chicken away, had his papers filed back in their places, and allowed his attendants to remove the mantle from his shoulders.

It had seemed so heavy a year ago. He had thought he would never be able to truly carry it as proudly as he should. But, his stomach had healed and his strength had returned. Now, he hardly felt the difference, as if he had always carried that little extra weight.

"Fire Lord Zuko," inquired Lin, bowing by the door. "Have you any other need?"

Zuko frowned, tilted his head. Pain shot through his neck. "A hot bath, I think."

"It will be drawn immediately, Fire Lord Zuko." She bowed again, then glided from the room.

His attendants accompanied him to the royal spa, undressed him. It had taken a much longer time to get used to _this_ again after his exile than it had taken for him to stop being polite. He had been thirteen the last time people had waited on him at his bath. When he came back, almost four years older, having near-strangers take off his clothes had been… uncomfortable, to say the least. For a long time, he had refused it.

Then, Lin set him straight.

Members of the royal family did not waste their energy on such trivial matters as dressing or undressing. They did not shave their own faces or tie up their own hair and they definitely didn't _walk_ outside of the palace. They allowed their subjects to do these things for them, as a show of mutual acceptance of the natural order of things.

As hands peeled the last layer of fabric from his shoulders, Zuko wondered how Katara would feel about that. He had eventually worked out a truce with Lin; he allowed himself to be catered to in most regards, but his underclothes were his to deal with as he chose, one of her few concessions. Would the waterbender be willing to make such a compromise?

As he sank into the hot water of his bath and his neck began to relax, he thought of her strength, her resilience. He thought of her unflinching commitment to justice and goodness. He thought of her eyes.

When hands began washing him, he opened his own eyes and thought of financial reports, the seven rules of diplomacy, the thirty-two mandates of Fire Nation Protocol. It had taken a _very_ long time for Lin to brow-beat him into _this_.

Alone in his room again, Zuko sat down on the edge of his bed and shut his eyes. It was fairly early, still, and Katara had said that Water Tribe celebrations usually lasted a while. He could sleep…

…but Zuko did not feel like sleeping.

He did as he was not supposed to do and untied his sash, dropping the silk sleep shirt behind him on the coverlet. He drove his fingers through his own damp hair and down both sides of his still-sore neck with a heavy touch, erasing the memory of gentle scrubbing.

…_why do you want me, Zuko?_

He wondered how leaders in the Southern Water Tribe bathed. Did Katara secret herself in an ice-block room and peel away her thick furs with her own slender fingers? He imagined so. He imagined she knelt beside a bowl of hot water and crushed liquid from the wash towel in her own hand, trailed the wet cloth across her own skin. He could barely remember how that skin had looked when it was wet with seawater; glistening and such a lovely shade of brown…

Zuko sighed. His sleep pants were tight against his crotch. This was not a good way to approach Katara's question.

Now that he had become aroused, though, it would be much more difficult to stop than to simply finish. Easier to focus, after…

He leaned back on one arm and let his opposite hand glide down the smooth expanse of his chest and over the hardening flesh between his thighs. The silk over his bulge was hot to the touch and only grew hotter as he lightly traced his fingers against it. This wasn't the desperate inferno he felt when his dreams teased him awake; it was a slow, building heat.

When his eyes closed, he immediately remembered that cookie, pressing between her lips. Her flesh had yielded slightly as it sank inside. Then, he had wanted to kiss away the crumbs that lingered…

Now, Zuko wondered if the Southern Water Tribe practiced fellatio. He wondered what it might feel like to have those lips press to the tip of his cock, whether she would stare into his eyes the way she had as she ate that cookie…

His hand rubbed firmly against his fully-erect organ and he released a low growl.

From the side of the room where the secret door let out into the hall, he heard a tiny sound, like an in-drawn breath. It was so quiet that he could have just as easily not heard it…

…which was why Zuko did not open his eyes when he realized that Katara had come early.

* * *

AN: *is naughty writer, indeed!* I know it's really cruel to cut you off here... but just think of it as something extra-special to look forward to tomorrow. ;)


	21. Chapter 21

AN: Dear readers, I apologize for the wait. I had this... awful resurgence of 'real life' that dragged me away from my computer for most of yesterday... and then my muse told me to go eff myself, which was needlessly hurtful. I hope this chapter kinda sorta makes up for the delay. :(

* * *

When Katara opened the concealed door, she was thinking about something that her father had said.

They had sat side-by-side through most of Sokka's dinner, greeting guests and thanking well-wishers from both Water Tribes. Then, an unfamiliar old man had approached Hakoda and they had stepped aside to talk quietly.

The waterbender hadn't overheard much, distracted as she was by the music and general festive atmosphere, but her own name stuck in her ears. She heard her father's low, firm tone. She heard the Elder's reproach.

"…most undiplomatic…"

At last, Hakoda seemed to have reached the limit of his patience. His arms crossed and his voice was just loud enough that Katara could make out his words. "Your visit is appreciated, Elder Adiak, but the advice of the Northern Council is not needed."

The old man had frowned, the tendons in his wrinkled neck showing as he tucked his jaw in offense, and then he had shuffled away.

When Hakoda again sat beside her, Katara couldn't help but ask what that had all been about.

He peered into her eyes for a long moment, as if trying to find something there. At last, he forced a smile. "Politics." He would say no more.

For a long while, Hakoda was quiet. Guests came and went, as did a tureen of five-spice soup. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, his large hand fell on her shoulder and, when she turned to look at him, he said, "Katara, if you do decide to go along with the Fire Lord's plan… I hope you'll do it because you feel something for him. That's all."

She had blinked up at him, unsure of what to say, as he rose and strode across the room to talk to Bato. The waterbender had sat alone for a while after that, thinking – or trying to, surrounded as she was by the noise of the celebration. Finally, she offered excuses and parting congratulations to Sokka and Suki and made her way back to her own dormitory.

Today, she had felt a lot of ways about Zuko. She had felt angry and betrayed, though that now seemed unfounded. After hearing his explanation, she had felt a bit exasperated and also oddly charmed by his uncertainty. The proposal, itself, frustrated her and even sort of frightened her a little; she felt trapped, forced to make a choice that she didn't feel at all prepared for. Admittedly, though, she had enjoyed teasing him at the tea party…

…and this morning, she had felt… very good about waking beside him, about kissing him.

But none of that was a good enough reason for marriage.

As she climbed into her dark clothing, Katara thought of yesterday. She thought of how he had looked at her when she told him what she thought of his scar, how he had gone on about turtle-ducks in his delirium. She thought of his warm presence beside her as she watched her brother's wedding. All pleasant things, but not reasons to get married.

She thought back further, to their shared experiences – fighting beside him, fighting against him. The North Pole, Yon Rha, Azula… these nights of vigilante justice.

It was only when she stared into the mirror to apply the red face paint that it really started to sink in.

Her heart was pounding. Her eyes reflected back at her, flashing their anticipation.

_I could do this forever._

Rousing herself, she finished applying the paint and crept out into the corridor. It was still early, so there were plenty of people out in many parts of the palace, but Katara knew by now where to find guests milling around and how to avoid them; her experiences of being chased after by Earth nobles had proven advantageous, after all.

She knew she enjoyed this secret work, possibly more than she should… it wasn't really a good reason for marriage, either, though. Eventually, it would have to end. Hopefully, they would run out of corrupt officials before either of them ended up killed…

Katara thought of Zuko, staggering back in the dark with an arrow planted in his shoulder, and stopped halfway down a corridor. She let her back press against the wall behind her and, for an instant, closed her eyes. He could have died. She could have lost him, right then and there.

Swallowing back the sick feeling, the waterbender hurried on. That archer, Chu Tan – he had to be dealt with… tonight.

As she worked the mechanism of the secret door, Katara tried to pin down just what she did feel for Zuko. After all, not wanting someone to die was different from wanting to marry that person…

The door opened on its silent hinges and the waterbender took one step inside…

…and stopped.

She saw him in profile; the firebender was sitting on the edge of his enormous bed, propped up on one arm, and his lean frame sloped down from that hitched shoulder. The muscles of his belly were relaxed, only suggested at beneath the pale expanse of his skin, and his legs were spread wide at the knee, feet flat on the floor. His head hung forward, hair shagging wetly in his face.

Somehow, he hadn't noticed her come in. Katara opened her mouth to speak, but he made the first sound. He… growled. The sound was low and hungry.

That was when she realized just what he was doing with his free hand – she hadn't noticed because, from her perspective, it was almost out of sight. But she could pick out the movement, now, could see the contrast of his pale skin against the red silk of his sleep pants.

Zuko's hand was… rubbing between his thighs in a slow, heavy motion.

With a little gasp, Katara took half a step back into the still-open door and stood in the threshold, uncertain.

* * *

Once upon a time, Uncle Iroh had told Zuko that good and evil were at constant war within him.

Currently, he was experiencing a significant skirmish.

On the side of good, Zuko knew it was not… nice… to masturbate in front of unsuspecting women. He felt that he should stop, maybe apologize, and let Katara know how embarrassed he was to be caught. Then, he could blush hotly, skitter into the bathroom, and privately finish what he had started.

…but Zuko had always been pretty bad at being good.

He was pretty sure that the side of evil was what made his hand slow further, press harder. It made his head drop back to reveal the thick column of his throat. It made his lips peel back in the hissed gasp of an exhibitionist's pleasure. The side of evil reasoned that she had strolled into _his_ room and now she would just have to deal with the consequences.

That part of him wanted to open his eyes and pin her in place, command her to watch – all without saying a word.

The side of good dictated that he should stop and talk, that he should let her decide whether she wanted to see this, not go on as if he did not know that she was there. His face was already heating…

He decided on a compromise. The door hadn't closed, yet; she would choose for herself and, if she decided to stay, he would pretend not to know.

Zuko imagined her round blue eyes – how shocked she must be! The image deepened his breathing, made him smirk a little. Through the fabric, he squeezed the head of his cock and his hips gave a tiny upward twitch against his hand.

The door still had not closed.

* * *

Behind her fukumen, Katara's mouth hung slightly open. She had never seen a boy do this before.

Of course, there was that one time that she nearly caught Sokka at it in his new room at the new ice house, but he had screamed and covered himself (thank Yue…) and Katara had done her very best to block the entire incident from her memory. That, of course, didn't really count.

Not like this.

Zuko was… really into whatever he was thinking about – so involved that he hadn't heard her enter, hadn't heard the noise of shock she had made… He was in his own world, with his head thrown back and his muscles flexing, body pressing upward against his hand, which shifted, changed positions. He seemed to be working his fingers around his erection through the silk of his sleep pants.

The waterbender swallowed and remembered to blink. A sexual surge flooded her; she could feel the flush spreading beneath her skin like a rosy tide. Her inner muscles rippled.

The door was still open and it couldn't stay that way forever; eventually, someone would pass through the corridor and notice. Katara would have to choose – and very soon – whether she was going to slip out as silently as she had come or step fully into the room.

It wasn't exactly… conscionable to spy on someone in such an intimate moment. Zuko may have asked her to marry him, but that didn't mean that he wanted her watching him while he touched himself, thinking he was alone.

On the other hand… Katara was having trouble tearing her eyes away. She felt hypnotized by the sound of his breathing, by the slow rhythm of it all…

But, when he lifted his hand to the ties of his sleep pants, Katara knew her conscience wouldn't let her go on this way. She pulled the door shut, cleared her throat, and spoke.

"Zuko."

He didn't leap out of his skin as she had expected him to; actually, he didn't even seem a little surprised. His hand stilled on the silk ties and, a second later, he bit his lip and his eyes cracked open to cast her an almost-guilty look. His good cheek, she noticed, had already been a bit pinker than usual.

Her mouth fell open once more beneath the fukumen as it really hit home.

"You already knew I was here." Her voice was faint, but he obviously heard the accusation.

"I, uh…" The firebender's eyes widened slightly, then dropped away. The almost-guilty expression blossomed into full-blown guilt. He sat up and leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees in an overdue gesture of self-consciousness. "Yeah."

"You knew I was here and you just… kept…"

He rubbed the back of his neck and stared at the floor. "Sorry, Katara… It just kind of… happened."

She stifled a smirk. "You're… _bad_."

The look he shot her was somewhere between guilt, hurt, and frustration. "I didn't expect you to show up this early and you _could_ try knocking for once!" He looked away and pinched the bridge of his nose, calming himself. "I'm sorry. I honestly didn't mean to… scare you or-"

"_Scare_ me?" Katara's arms crossed and the smirk emerged fully. "You think I'm _scared_?"

Zuko looked back at her, now assessing her with narrowed yellow eyes. It occurred to the waterbender then that it had been a bad idea to draw attention to her own part in this.

Slowly, he stood up, the muscles in his belly flexing with the movement, and turned to face her squarely. His lips were curling upward slightly at their corners, as if he'd realized something funny. "You didn't leave."

The waterbender blinked, slightly taken aback. "What?"

"You saw what I was doing. You had every chance to go back out the way you came and play like it never happened…" He took a few slow steps toward her and Katara couldn't help her eyes flicking down to the very obvious tenting of his sleep pants. After halving the distance between them, he stopped and smirked. "…but instead you decided to stay. Why?"

"I…" Her eyes were wide and it took a lot of effort to keep them focused on his face… though, from his smug expression, she imagined he had already caught her looking.

He took another step toward her. She found herself backing up.

There wasn't far to go. When her back touched the wooden panel that concealed the door, she straightened, holding her head high. "It seemed… sleazy to see you and then just pretend that I hadn't. I wanted to be honest."

Zuko stopped just outside of arm's reach. "Are you sure, Katara?"

She blinked. "About what?"

There was some arrogance in the quirk of his lips, the set of his shoulders. "Are you sure you didn't stay because you wanted to catch me, lord it over me…?" His chin dipped a little. "…tell me how _bad_ I am?"

Katara swallowed, but couldn't manage speech with his eyes sizzling into hers the way they were. He had a point.

"You aren't scared… so what are you?" His gaze trailed down to where her arms crossed over her chest, then flicked back to her eyes. "You're breathing pretty hard…" His voice was low, suggestive.

A pleasurable shudder traveled down her spine. "So are you," she managed. Her own voice was on the husky side.

Indeed, his bare chest rose and fell as quickly as hers did against her arms. He was so close that she could smell the soap scent lingering on his skin. Her eyes flicked to his smirking lips.

Zuko watched her for a long moment before his smirk faded and, finally, he spoke. "Sokka said it was dishonorable to us both… if I kissed you when I might marry someone else." He came a bit closer, set his palms against the wall beside her shoulders, and whispered. "I don't guess you'd like to say 'yes' right now?"

Katara blinked. She was certainly feeling something for him… and she would certainly like to sink into another of those hot, melting kisses…

…but this was about marriage… and those weren't good reasons to get married.

"I'm… still thinking."

"Right." Zuko sighed and shut his eyes before pushing away from the wall, away from her.

Katara watched him scuff across the room to his potted plants, dig out a black bundle, and then disappear into the bathroom. As soon as the door closed, she heaved a sigh and, her own feet dragging as she crossed the room, flopped to her back on his bed.

Really, what _was_ a good reason?

* * *

Uncle Iroh in the hot springs. Flabby, saggy skin… Blindingly white, untouched by the sun…

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose as the heat in his body diminished. How stupid could he get? If he wasn't so preoccupied with honor, he would probably be kissing Katara right now.

Then again, if he wasn't so preoccupied with Katara, he wouldn't have been in that mess to start with…

Frustrated in more ways than one, he yanked on his black clothes – which included a new shirt to replace the one that had been torn last night – and slipped the Dao swords onto his back. With a final check to be sure that everything was… as it should be, he stalked out of the bathroom, mask hanging from one hand.

The waterbender was lying on his bed. He fought a silent, vicious war against his imagination.

"Are you ready?" she asked, rising up on her elbows to look at him.

Zuko stared at her for a long moment, then scowled down at the floor, scrubbing one hand roughly through his hair. "Don't… _say_ stuff like that when you're lying there… please?"

Her eyes screwed up in confusion, then widened. She hurriedly stood up. "Oh… sorry. Didn't you, uh…?" She waved a hand at the bathroom.

He looked back up at her, trying to decide whether or not she was making fun of him. He'd been in the other room for less than five minutes; did she really think that was all it took for him? She seemed serious, though, so Zuko just crossed his arms and maintained a dry tone. "No. I did not."

She shuffled from one foot to the other, looking awkward. "I could… go outside for a while or something…"

"No…" The firebender heaved a sigh and rubbed his face with one hand. "It… actually wasn't such a good idea. I was trying to clear my head, but it really would've just made me slow. And I really don't need to be slow, tonight." He pulled the zukin up over his hair and settled the mask in place before looking back up at Katara.

"We're going after Chu Tan."

He could tell by the crinkling of her eyes when the smirk spread across her face.

* * *

AN: So, awkward, but not as lemony as some may have hoped for... I originally wanted to do a big sexy voyeuristic thing, but that seemed kind of out of character for Katara. Dunno. What does the world think?


	22. Chapter 22

AN: Thanks so much to everyone who gave me feedback on the last chapter - it was a huge help to me! I'm so glad that so many people liked it and I hope this chapter is equally enjoyable for you!

* * *

"What – did you get shot again, already?"

The old woman's single yellow eye stared out of the peephole in her door. Under her fukumen, Katara frowned. "Actually, we came to repay you for your kindness…" She waved a little cloth purse which sagged with the weight of a fair few more than three Fire Nation silvers. "…and to see about a little information."

The little window shut with a snap and the door cracked open. As fast as Katara remembered her being the previous night, it was still surprising how quickly the old woman's knobby fist snaked out and snatched the money from her hand. She frowned thoughtfully and bounced the bag in her palm, then eyed the two disguised youths.

"I sell medicines. Not information. Go find a library."

Katara jammed her foot in the door before it could shut fully and had to bite her lip to keep the squeak of pain from escaping. The door slowly opened again, though, to reveal the old woman's eye widening and her mouth pinching into a tiny, furious frown. She seemed to be puffing up in preparation for a strike when Zuko spoke up.

"We need to find Chu Tan."

Her fiercely glaring eye switched to him for a long, assessing moment. "You're looking tense, son. If that shoulder's giving you trouble, I can get you some licorice-willow bark to chew. Tastes a whole lot better than revenge, I'll tell you that right now."

Katara barely restrained her snarl. Her foot was throbbing. "Come on, lady…" That yellow eye narrowed at her. The waterbender immediately gestured towards Zuko. "I thought you _liked_ the Blue Spirit."

"I do. Most people around here do." She looked between the two of them, suspicious. "Most people around here like Chu Tan, too, though. He's a nice boy, like I said."

"If he was nice, he wouldn't be shooting people in alleys at night."

One of those knobby fingers raised and shook at Katara. "And if _you_ were nice, you wouldn't be throwing curses around – even at men who deserve it!"

The waterbender rocked back on her heels and blinked.

"That's right. I've heard all about you and your witchy ways… Most people think you're a demon, you know. They say you tempt men to go off into the dark and then bind off their fates." The old woman straightened a little, sniffed. "Not that _I_ believe in that sort of gobbledygook."

Katara shot a glance at Zuko. He peered back at her through the mask and offered a little shrug.

"Besides, demons don't cry and spirits don't bleed. It's all claptrap."

"Look…" Katara turned back to the old woman and raised her hands in a gesture of openness. "We just want to talk to Chu Tan. We won't hurt him or… curse him… okay?"

That yellow eye rested on her for a long moment. Then, the old woman scoffed. "A few extra silvers isn't worth me wasting _this_ much of my time. Go talk to Won Chi at the Jade Cup, over on Scorch Street." She shook that finger again. "And _don't _you tell him _I_ sent you."

The door banged shut and Katara rubbed her temple, muttering. "Crazy old walrus-shark…" Behind her, Zuko made a soft snorting sound.

"What?" That eye practically poked out of the tiny window.

"Nothing, ma'am. Have a good night."

"Get away from my door!"

* * *

Zuko was running her hard, tonight. He seemed to have endless supplies of energy and drove her to the very brink of her endurance. They raced through tunnels, along rooftops. They jumped over streets where soldiers patrolled.

Katara felt oddly stifled, as if her energy and power was huge and yet out of reach; perhaps it was the thick ceiling of cloud that filled the sky.

Scorch Street was one of the original roads in the lower district; it was twisted, poorly-lit, poorly-paved, and full of buildings squeezed in next to each other. There were few alleys and most of those were barely wide enough for Zuko to walk through. The whole area made Katara very nervous.

"Here it is," he hissed, stopping at the mouth of an alley. The waterbender had to lean against him slightly to peer out over his shoulder. When she set her hand against his back, it was like touching a fresh loaf of bread through a napkin – he was unbelievably hot.

The Jade Cup was a little shack of a teahouse with a big front window that poured light out into the street – one of the few sources of illumination in that stretch. Inside, business was booming; a wiry man was gliding around from table to table, serving tea with the dexterity of long practice. He had a thin moustache that hung down from both corners of his mouth and spread smoothly when he smiled at a patron.

Zuko led her across the street and down the narrow alley beside the shop. There was a door that appeared to lead into the kitchen and Katara followed the firebender through without hesitation… which turned out to be a mistake when he pulled up short in what appeared to be someone's sitting room and the waterbender ended up running bodily into him.

Behind her, the door shut.

Sitting on a plainly upholstered sofa with a book spread across his lap, a little boy, not more than five, peered up at the two intruders. Katara looked at the kid. The kid looked at the Blue Spirit. The Blue Spirit looked at Katara. Katara smiled beneath her fukumen.

"Won Chi?" she inquired, hopefully.

The boy's eyes bulged. "Daddy!" He shoved the book off of his lap and scurried through a door. "Daddy! Strangers!"

Zuko made a leap for the exit, but his shoulder caught Katara's, sending her into an awkward spin onto the sofa. By the time the door was open and the waterbender had regained her feet, the man with the moustache had rushed into the room, brandishing a ladle and what appeared to be a pan of boiling-hot water.

"How dare you break into my house! Scaring my little boy! Get out!" He hurled the contents of his pan at Katara and, instinctively, she took control of the water and bent it to the floor. It splattered into the carpet, steaming

The man with the moustache stared at her, then at the water, then at Zuko, who was in the threshold, waiting. His jaw hung slightly open.

Katara offered a respectful Fire Nation bow, hand over fist. "Apologies, sir. We didn't mean to enter your home. We thought this was the kitchen of the Jade Cup."

"A… waterbender?" His moustache hung limply at both sides of his mouth

She straightened and ignored his question. "Are you Won Chi?"

"I am…" Won Chi lowered the ladle and blinked. "You are the Blue Spirit and… the Red Demon…"

Katara blinked, frowned. The _Red Demon_? Why was _she_ a demon when _Zuko_ was just a spirit?

"…and the Blue Spirit…" Won Chi did not seem to notice her hesitance. He also didn't seem to notice that his son had crept back into the room and was peering around his father's legs at the strangers. "…in my house…" His face screwed up for a moment and it seemed as if he was going to burst into tears. Then, he grinned. "This is the greatest day of my life! Please, come into my shop – let me serve you some tea!"

Katara turned to Zuko, then back to Won Chi. "Actually… we're, uh… kind of busy, tonight." The teashop owner's smile faded. "We wondered if you might help us…"

Won Chi's moustache swayed with the force of his returning grin. "It would be my honor to assist you in any possible way – _especially_ if it involves tea!"

"We need to find a man named Chu Tan. Will you help us?"

"Chu Tan? That's my cousin! Good kid – excellent tea server, but, you know, he's got his own thing." Won Chi shrugged dismissively, as if bounty hunting was just a phase. "You need to catch somebody or something?"

"Oh, we always need to catch _somebody_…" Katara waved a hand conversationally. "Where can we find your cousin?"

Won Chi glanced between them and laughed a little nervously. "You're not… You're not going to…"

"Chu Tan won't be harmed. We hear he's a nice boy." Katara shrugged. "Some of the people he's involved with aren't so nice, though, and he has information that we need… Actually, I'd say he kind of owes us one."

The tea house owner offered an uncertain smile. "I see… Well… he likes to go to the Blue Heron around this time of night, so you could probably check there – it's just down the street a ways."

"Thank you for your help." With a final bow, Katara turned toward the door. Zuko nodded and vanished into the alley. As a second thought, she bent the water out of Won Chi's carpet and took it along with her, pooling around her hands. She was out the door before the teashop owner spoke a final time.

"When you see my cousin…" There was a hopeful note in his voice. Katara looked back. "…would you tell him we worry?"

The waterbender nodded. "I will."

Then, she raced off into the dark.

* * *

The Blue Heron turned out to be a wine house. It had two stories, the top with a wide porch where patrons sat, drinking and cat-calling to anyone who passed on the street below.

Zuko led Katara on a circuitous route so that they could climb onto the roof from another, slightly-overhanging awning. There, they crept across the clay tiles to a vent that was propped open to combat the lingering warmth of summer and peered down into the interior.

The place was large and full of tables and chairs, with a bar on the ground level and the second floor composed of a railed loft that ran along each wall and was open in the center to the floor below. The people moving around inside were rowdy and many had a rough look to them; big scars and tattoos were a common sight.

"Which one is Chu Tan?" Katara whispered. She couldn't see any bowmen among the patrons below and no one looked like the slim figure she had seen on the rooftop the previous night. It seemed as if a fight was about to break out between two big, muscular men – both of whom had the enormous sideburns that the Fire Nation favored.

"There." Zuko pointed and Katara followed his finger to a small man whose chair leaned back against the wall, almost out of sight because of the overhanging loft. He was cast in shadow, but the bow and arrows tucked beside him against the wall were pretty telling.

"Alright," the waterbender breathed. "So we found him. Now what?"

"We need some kind of diversion…"

For a long moment, they both only stared down into the wine house. The two men who had seemed so close to fighting a few minutes ago were calming down. Friends were patting their shoulders and trying to lead them both away.

Katara smirked. With a single, spidery hand-gesture, one man's fist flew out and socked the other guy in the shoulder as he turned away. Katara frowned down at her hands. She had meant the hit to be harder than that…

It didn't seem to matter, though. The man who had been hit whirled and glared at the hitter – who was staring at his fist, perplexed. "Did you just hit me, Moko?"

Moko still frowned at his fist. "Yeah, I guess I did… I wasn't trying to, though…"

"That's good – because that punch was pathetic."

Moko looked up. Their eyes locked. Then, chaos.

In such close quarters, a fight between two large men quickly escalated into a dozen fights about who spilled who's wine. Soon, the entire lower floor was full of struggling bodies, breaking furniture, and smashed cups. The man behind the bar ducked a flying piece of wood that may have been a chair leg and went on pouring wine for the few patrons still lingering at the counter.

"There he goes," Zuko hissed. Katara barely caught sight of the slim archer before he slipped out of a side door. "Come on."

Following the firebender over the peak of the roof, Katara peered into the alley and watched a slightly-darker shadow make its way out onto Scorch Street. They jumped the gap to the next building and scurried after him.

Chu Tan made several turns onto darker streets, tighter alleys. He never seemed to hesitate and Katara supposed that he must know this part of the city very well to be so confident – that, or this part of the city knew _him_ very well. Finally, he turned onto a side-street wide enough for the use of Dao swords and Zuko gestured for Katara to lead the way.

She dropped from a low roof and landed in front of the bounty hunter. Chu Tan, seemingly on instinct, strung an arrow, drew his bow. Katara sliced his bowstring with a quick flash of the water still pooling around her hands – though the movement felt oddly sluggish. The archer's arm flew back as the resistance vanished and he stared, wide-eyed, between the useless weapon and the masked woman before him.

"We need to talk, Chu Tan."

He dropped the bow with a clatter and raised his hands. His voice, when he spoke, was surprisingly squeaky, nervous. "I didn't know – I swear! I just took the job. I didn't tell anybody anything." Katara's eyes widened. Won Chi wasn't joking. Chu Tan really was a kid – probably no older than thirteen. Now that she was looking, she could see the lanky, not-quite-grown quality of his limbs. His voice cracked. "Please don't kill me?"

The waterbender blinked. "You're… just a kid."

He shuffled his feet a bit.

"Why are you even _out_ at this time of night, much less running around _shooting_ people for money?" Katara's fists planted on her hips and her voice had taken on a bit of an indignant squawk, but she hardly noticed.

"I… I have to feed my family. My mother's too sick to work and my little sisters take care of her… so I… make money." He shrugged his narrow shoulders.

"By shooting people."

"I don't _kill_ anybody… Oh…" Chu Tan glanced around the alley, up to the roof. A hint of desperation entered his voice. "Oh, Agni… Is he okay? I didn't mean to…"

Katara's arms crossed. "Don't worry about the Blue Spirit. It takes more than an arrow to get rid of him – trust me." She pointed a finger at him. "Right now, you need to tell me who hired you to attack us."

"I'm… not exactly sure. He came in a palanquin and talked to me through a curtain – I didn't see his face. He paid upfront – fifty silver – and said I'd get that much again when he had the Blue Spirit…" Chu Tan shook his head slowly, rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll have to refund that, I guess." He looked up again, as if remembering. "I was supposed to deliver to Ozai's Arch, in the mid-city… an hour from now."

"That's good to know, Chu Tan." Katara waited a beat before her eyes narrowed again. "Your cousin worries about you. He wishes you'd come back to work in his teashop."

The boy heaved a sigh. "Won Chi? He told you where to find me?" Frowning at the ground, he shook his head and his own arms crossed. "Blabbermouth. See if I ever tell _him_ anything ever again…"

"Well, can you really blame your family for worrying? What's wrong with working in a teashop, anyway?"

Chu Tan frowned at her, as if being chastised by a former target was a wholly new experience for him. "It doesn't pay enough. And it's degrading. I had an offer to join the Yu Yan, you know. I could have been…" He shook his head, letting that go. "I couldn't watch out for my sisters if I was out of the city."

Katara nodded. "Family is very important… but plenty of perfectly respectable people work in teashops." She waved a hand, thoughtfully. "I'm not saying that you should give up forever on being a bounty hunter – there aren't that many great bounty hunters out there and I'm sure the market's just begging for people who can take prisoners, but-"

On the roof above her, a throat cleared. She peered up to find the Blue Spirit mask nodding pointedly toward one end of the alley. Time to go.

When the waterbender looked back, she found Chu Tan peering upward, eyes bulging. He immediately dropped to his knees, then fell against his forearms in a full bow. Katara stared at him and her heart began to hammer.

The kid had seen Zuko's face, after all.

After a moment, the firebender dropped to the street. He, too, stared down at the prostrated bounty hunter.

"You know me."

Chu Tan's voice was muffled against the cobblestones. "Y- Yes, Fire Lord Zuko."

Katara swallowed. "When?"

"I… I saw the scar… but only after I fired. Please believe me – I would not knowingly shoot an arrow at my sovereign! Or…" He hesitated, dared a glance up at Katara. "Or at Waterbending Master Katara."

She looked at Zuko, wide-eyed. He did not look away from the boy bowing on the street. His shoulders were slumped.

Apparently made more desperate by the silence, Chu Tan went on. "I never miss – not ever. My second shot failed because I was… so surprised. I… I swear I have told no one… that I _will_ tell no one. Ever."

For a long moment, all was quiet. Then, Zuko spoke. "Rise, Chu Tan."

The boy rose, but kept his gaze lowered, his head hanging.

"Look at me."

Chu Tan's head came up slightly and, eyes flicking hesitantly, he looked at the mask. Zuko pulled it off. Katara watched his frowning expression, unsure of what it meant.

"You shot me, Chu Tan. By Fire Nation law, such an offense should be punished by execution." The boy's eyes widened and dropped away, terrified but accepting. Zuko went on. "I do not wish you dead, though. Instead, you will owe me a debt of honor."

Chu Tan looked back up, eyes huge with their disbelief in the dim light.

"You say you will tell no one; I will believe you on one condition. Go back to work for your cousin. His business is doing well and he could use your help." The firebender's head shook, slowly. "Your sisters won't benefit from their brother dying young, anyway." Zuko paused and crossed his arms over his chest. "To repay your debt to me, you will listen to what is being said around you while you serve tea. When I come to you, you will report what you have heard. Do you accept this?"

Without so much as an instant's hesitation, Chu Tan bowed low. "Yes, Fire Lord. On my honor, I will do as you say."

"Good. Now go."

As the young man bolted from the alley, having completely forgotten his broken bow behind, Katara stared at Zuko.

"Do you honestly believe he'll keep this quiet?"

The firebender turned a furrowed brow on her. "You think we should have killed him?"

"No! I just…" She shook her head, at a loss. "I don't understand how you can trust a random kid with something this important."

Zuko blinked, then offered a half-smile before pulling the mask back over his face. "Honor, Katara. It binds more people in the Fire Nation than just me, you know…"

* * *

They came through shadows to Ozai's Arch and crouched together on the roof of a little potter's shop. The courtyard was huge and empty around the monument – a thick, steel construction studded with flickering streams of ignited gas. For a long while, they waited in a silence punctuated only by the soft rushing sounds of burning.

"I considered having that thing removed," Zuko muttered after a long silence, indicating the monument with a jerk of his chin. "This community decided it was ugly after my father's fall. A committee formed and requested that it be destroyed. There were hearings, lots of paperwork…"

Katara peered at the arch, which, in spite of the light it cast, seemed to darken the courtyard with its dense form. "What went wrong?"

"I did." Zuko sighed. "My final decision was to leave it as it is – as a reminder that the ways we glory ourselves are not necessarily so glorious when we look back on them."

"Very wise…"

Zuko was silent.

"They were right, though. It's as ugly as the wrong side of a giant eel-hound…"

The mask turned to face her. "Thanks for your support," he muttered dryly.

Katara only smirked under her fukumen.

They waited for the better part of an hour before anything happened. Then, a patrol of royal guards appeared, marching through the courtyard in perfect unison. Katara frowned, whispered in Zuko's ear.

"Should royal guards be in the mid-city?"

His head shook slowly side-to-side, then turned to look off to the other end of the courtyard. A second patrol appeared, marching to meet the first. Zuko spoke, very low. "I'm starting to think we shouldn't be here, either. Come on."

He led her back over the pottery shop and they dropped into the alley behind the building, then sneaked cautiously along the route that would take them back to the lower district. Patrols of royal guards seemed to pop up everywhere, though, forcing them to alter their course further and further to the north.

Zuko spotted one patrol with barely enough time to push Katara back into the alley through which they had just come. "It's a trap," he breathed. "They're pushing us away from the lower district."

Katara turned to rush back down the alley, but Zuko caught her shoulder, shook his head.

"It's too late to run."

Even as he said the words, the waterbender could hear the steady beat of armored boots coming from the far end of the alley in which they hid. They were surrounded.

* * *

AN: Woo! Excitement! Adventure! 


	23. Chapter 23

AN: Thanks, noble reviewers, for all of your reviewy love! And you know what ELSE a fanfic is incomplete without...?

**(Warning: chapter contains some dark themes. References made to torture & non-con. You be warned.)**

* * *

Katara peered skyward, in search of a low rooftop, a place they could climb, but the lowest awning was two stories up and there were no windows, no cracks in the stonework for handholds. She might have been able to raise them up if there had been much water on the streets, but enough hot days had passed that the puddles had all dried and the only moisture that remained was the dampness deep between the cobblestones. Oddly, she could barely even feel that…

There was no escape. They would have to fight through the guards and make a run for the lower district. That wasn't the only bad news, though.

Katara felt… very strange. Dizzy, she took a step back and leaned against the chilled wall. She swallowed hard. Something was very wrong.

"Zuko… I'm not feeling so…"

Past the rooftops, the waterbender could see the clouds breaking apart, revealing the moon. It should have been full, but it was… dimming. A red shadow was creeping across it and only a sliver of pure white remained. It shrank, even as she watched.

"Katara?" The firebender was standing beside her, one hand on her arm, but he seemed so distant.

Katara could feel it inside of her, this eclipse of her power. It was as if all of the water in the world simply… vanished. She couldn't feel it, anymore. Her legs gave out beneath her and she slid down the wall, despite Zuko's arms coming around her, trying to hold her up.

"…so good."

As the shadow of the earth swallowed the last silver light of the moon, Katara lost consciousness.

* * *

"Katara? Wake up, Katara… Come on!"

Zuko was on the verge of panic.

Soldiers were coming from both sides, there was no way out of this alley, and Katara had just passed out. He patted her cheek sharply, trying to rouse her, but she only sagged, limp against him. Gently, he leaned her back against the wall in a sitting position and rose, turning to look up at whatever had been so…

Oh.

A lunar eclipse. Zuko remembered the time of the solar eclipse, when his power had been cut off. He hadn't felt good, but he certainly hadn't passed out, either. Maybe it was different for waterbenders.

The sounds of marching boots came closer. Zuko drew the Dao swords from his back and assumed a fighting stance, waiting. The solar eclipse had only lasted for a few minutes. With any luck, the same would be true of a lunar eclipse.

Zuko had known that there would be traps, eventually. He had gotten very close to a number of powerful people and one didn't do that without colliding with some form of defense. Still, he hadn't expected this one. The boy, Chu Tan, had given no indication of knowing about this. The firebender wondered now whether that ignorance had been genuine.

Then again, Chu Tan knew who he was and, had he wanted to sell the Blue Spirit's identity, Zuko imagined that there would have been assassination attempts before this one.

The royal guards came into view on both ends of the alley almost simultaneously. They spotted him and stopped. Zuko held his ground beside Katara's crumpled body. For a long while, no one moved or spoke.

"Blue Spirit," called one of the guards. His voice echoed slightly against the alley's walls. "You will surrender immediately and face the justice of the Fire Lord."

Behind his mask, Zuko's lip curled. If he could hold them off for just a little while, maybe Katara would wake up and they could fight their way out together.

Then again, if the royal guards began shooting fire at him, they could just as easily hit the unconscious waterbender.

"Lay down your weapons."

Just a few minutes. Maybe he could stall and buy some time.

He lowered the tips of his swords. "And then what?"

There was a hint of relief in the guard's voice as he replied. "You will be taken into custody and will stand trial for high treason."

"You and I both know that's a lie." Zuko shook his head slowly before glancing back in the other direction to make sure that the other guards were keeping their distance. They were, but the movement stung his neck. "Where do you really intend to take me? Govener Lao? Tseng? Who bought you?"

There was a moment of hesitation, but the guard pressed on. "Give up, now. Further resistance will be met without mercy."

Zuko raised the tips of his blades and glanced in the other direction just in time to swat an odd, fist-sized lump out of the air. It stuck to his blade, but otherwise seemed harmless…

…until it began to hiss and release a brownish gas that clouded around him. Zuko tried to kick the gas bomb off of the Dao sword and back at the guards, but it was coated in some thick, gummy substance and stuck to his boot, then to the street nearby.

Gas filled the alley and standing vertical became very difficult. Zuko heard his swords hit the ground before he realized that he had let them go. His head tilted back and, for an instant, he had a view of the clouds squeezing together around the red moon, choking out its light.

Then, he fell.

* * *

He woke up in chains.

At first, though, Zuko wasn't really aware of the chains. He was aware of the splitting headache, the soreness in his chest, and the chill of the room he was in. His next observations were centered on his uplifted arms, straining with his weight and lacking blood, and the awkward position of his legs, folded beneath him. The fabric separating his shins from the stone floor was wet and cold.

It was only when he shifted his legs beneath him to support some of his weight and started trying to flex his arms to force circulation back into them that he noticed the manacles on his wrists that held him chained to the block wall.

"Awake, are you?"

Bleary-eyed, he blinked at the room around him. There appeared to be a man of middle-years sitting at a table nearby, polishing pieces of steel – they looked like some kind of tools. On the table, a lantern flickered, the only source of light.

"You've been out for hours, now. I knew that gas ball was a smart buy." That voice was somewhat familiar…

Zuko coughed. "Where am I?"

The man laughed low in his throat and stood from the table, very slowly walking toward him. One of the tools caught the light, flashing in his hand next to his hip. "You may feel woozy for a while yet, _Blue Spirit._ Just let me handle the questions."

The firebender peered upward and squinted to bring the other man's face into focus, but the light worked against him, blinding him and casting his captor into shadow. He realized that he was still wearing the mask when it snagged the fabric covering his shoulder.

The other man apparently noticed that moment of realization. He crouched before his prisoner, smirking. "Yes… I chose to leave your identity a secret for the time being. I had my own suspicions as to just who you were…" Zuko felt a finger jab into his chest but, though his head dropped forward easily, his eyes couldn't quite follow the movement. "…and it wouldn't do for any of my troops to lose morale."

Zuko swallowed, blinking heavily and trying to remember all the things he was forgetting. It seemed like there were a lot. "Planning a coup?"

"Now, what did I say about questions?"

Since Zuko's head was still hanging forward, he had a great view of that tool – it was a pair of scissors – as the blades gnawed through the fabric of his shirt.

"You'll be answering them… unless you like pain. I always suspected you might be the sort to enjoy that kind of thing." Quicker than the firebender felt able to process, the scissors cut the shirt from his body. It hit the floor nearby. "Of course, if you _really_ want things to get ugly, I could have my guards bring your little friend in."

It came back to Zuko, then… _Katara_. "Where is she?" He tried to rise to his feet but found that his ankles were chained to the wall as well.

The older man laughed his low, sinister laugh. "Oh, not to worry. She's completely safe – hasn't even stirred, yet. My men are keeping a _close_ eye on her. Maybe even more than an eye – you never know…"

His stomach clenched and sank in dread. "No… you wouldn't…" Beneath the mask, his mouth hung open, speechless. _Katara…_

"That bothers you, eh? The thought of your pretty little friend, helpless as a bound rabbit-monkey…" The sharp tip of the scissors dragged down the firebender's bare chest, not quite scratching enough to hurt, but easily serving to remind him of his own helplessness. "…with other men's hands all over her?"

Zuko snarled and strained against his bonds, but couldn't reach his captor.

"Well then…" The man smirked again. He was starting to look so familiar… "I suppose it would be a good idea for you to give me no reason to drag her in here. Bad enough that it's happening – better for you if you don't have to watch."

"You slime! You dishonorable-!"

The man's free hand closed on Zuko's throat and shoved him back against the wall. The stone was cold and rough against his back. His captor's cunning yellow eyes met his through the mask and, when he spoke, his voice was a hate-filled rasp. "No. No more talk of honor from the spoiled Prince. No more of your righteousness and fool-hearted justice. Do you understand me, Zuko? It's very unlikely that you will see the sun again and your only chance is through me, by answering _my_ questions."

His lip curled in something between a smile and a snarl and, as his fingers tightened on Zuko's throat, the firebender remembered who this was. He had dismissed this man from service months ago…

"Where is the rightful Fire Lord, Zuko? Where is Azula?"

* * *

It was peeling back slowly – like the hard, bitter rind of a sunfruit coming away to bare the orange, gem-like segments beneath. Something so good was emerging, something that made her mouth water and her body oddly sensitize.

But something else was happening, too.

She was lying on softness, with her wrists tied above her head. Her belly and shoulders felt chilled. Something tugged around her breasts and back uncomfortably.

"Why don't you just cut it off, Cho? It's not like she's gonna need it." The voice verged on whining and came from a source uncomfortably near to Katara's face. She had to fight the urge to flinch away.

Another man sighed, gustily. This one sounded as if he was above her. "I told you already. You rip her clothes off now and you can't do it ever again. You undress her slow when you get the chance, she puts it all back on later, and you get to repeat the pleasure next time."

"Yeah, yeah. Just hurry it up, would you? We haven't got long."

"Wait… I think she's…"

Katara's eyes snapped open and met the surprised gaze of the Fire Nation man straddling her. His hands stilled on her breast bindings – she could feel their heat and weight through the layers of cloth.

"Ah ha! I told you she looked like Water Tribe – just get a look at those eyes, Cho!" Those eyes flicked to the side to take in the other man, a skinnier version of the first, as he grinned and raised a hand to stroke his fingers along the underside of her upper arm. "That exotic skin! Couldn't be anything but Water Tribe."

Katara twisted and tried to yank her arm away, but the ropes tying her wrists to the headboard held her mostly in place. Her throat forced out speech – _get away from me!_ – but the gag in her mouth allowed only muffled half-words to escape. The guard above her, Cho, gripped her jaw and held her head steady. Surprise passed, he glared down into her eyes.

"Alright, Water Tribe. This can be easy or hard for you. You just relax and be a good girl and maybe you'll even enjoy-"

Katara planted her boots against the bed and, with a rebellious sneer, strained her body upward, trying to dislodge the man's weight. Wide-eyed, he wobbled for an awkward second, but remained on top of her. A spark of anger flickered in his eyes as he pinned her to the bed with his greater weight.

"Stupid woman."

Then, he slapped her hard across the face. As the stars receded from her vision, Katara realized that he had begun working on her bindings again. She squirmed, the strength of panic fueling her struggles. Finally, Cho grew truly frustrated.

"That's it. Yan, go get my knife from the bunk. I'm cutting this damned thing off."

Yan hesitated. "But… I thought you said-"

"That was when she was out. Now, look at her! She's not gonna make this easy."

Yan frowned down at Katara, whose lip curled, baring her teeth where they sank into the gag. She tried again to dislodge Cho, but he was having none of it. He sat heavily on her hips.

"My knife, Yan. Now!" As soon as the other guard scurried from the room, Cho narrowed his eyes at the captured waterbender and leaned in close to her face. His voice was hard, his breath hot across her cheeks. "I've known Water Tribe resistance before. It's a joke. Your people are weak. Just like them, you'll break." His lip curled up in a smirk and he trailed a finger down one of her red-painted cheeks. "I'm gonna love watching those pretty eyes cry…"

Katara snapped her head forward, bringing her forehead into sharp contact with the guard's nose. Cho sat up and groaned, cupping both hands to his face. When he looked back down, his yellow eyes were lit with fury. That was when he made a mistake.

He tried to spit in her face.

Katara's hands, tied at the wrist, had no trouble at all in redirecting the saliva into a swift slash above Cho's eyes. As he reeled back from her, she used the liquid to slice her bonds in a few short passes, then sent it back to cut again at the man above her.

This time, when she tried to shove him off, she met with success. Cho toppled to the floor and scrambled backward to put distance between himself and the waterbender. Katara rose from the bed and yanked the gag from her mouth. She could feel the power of the full moon surging back into her.

She'd never felt so alive.

"Cho, what was that-?" Yan opened the door and, in an instant, took in the scene. He immediately dropped into a firebending stance and drew back to punch flame at the escaped prisoner.

Katara raised her hands and set her fingers in that familiar, spidery form.

Yan was yanked bodily through the door before he could so much as spark. Cho shot to his feet with a startled cry. Both men seemed to hang in the air, held rigid by their own blood. Their yellow eyes were huge with their terror.

"This can be easy or hard for you," Katara hissed, slowly. Her hands twisted, slamming both guards down to their hands and knees roughly. With another jerk, she yanked their heads up, forcing them to look at her.

The waterbender's lip curled in a fierce smirk. "Where is the Blue Spirit?"

* * *

AN: And WHERE are our respective shirts? D:

Suggested 'fake' chapter 20 is a definite possibility... along with potential Hakoda-oneshot. I like these ideas... oh yes, I do.


	24. Chapter 24

AN: Woah... getting behind, here. Sorry for the wait (and the kinda-short chapter...) A great and resonant Thanks to all of my many reviewers! Holy cow! Over 400 reviews! Over 80 favorites and 150 alerts! Wow! I am really, really flattered and thrilled that this story has grown so popular. I hope I can continue to deliver a good read for you all!

**Warning: Chapter contains dark themes... or, theme, I guess. Torture. Warning complete.**

stracery: An excellent point about canon eclipses! It's true that I threw the passing-out in solely for suspense. In revision, I might go back and just have Katara's bending kick off and make her pass out with Zuko because of the gas... it was kind of a snap decision (and the drama of the moon images got me all excited. ^v^) Also, don't fear - there will be no interruptions in the completion of this fic. Alternate chapters/oneshots will be packaged separately, if/when I get around to them.

SCWLC: Yes. Cliffhangers. You will have another and another and another. Reading this story will be very much like falling down a giant flight of stairs, one cliffhangy step at a time… hopefully in a good way, though... :D

* * *

"Former Financier Lo Wei… I didn't know you were so fond of my sister." It was not easy to speak with the appropriate amount of snarling sarcasm with the older man's hand clamped against his throat, but Zuko managed.

"Just answer the question, you puffed-up brat." Lo Wei's lip curled, baring his tidy white teeth.

As his eyes finally adjusted, Zuko could pick out the crouch-induced folds in the other man's immaculate robes; they had always been perfectly tailored and perfectly straight whenever the financier had come to the Fire Lord's office to make a report. Everything about him had been in order, from his tightly-tied topknot and his tidily-trimmed moustache down to the unfailingly-spotless points of his shoes.

Perhaps all of that readily-visible control was why it had taken Zuko so long to figure out that the man was an architect in his own country's economic demolition; he gave an impression of being the sort to keep a tight ship. Under Lo Wei's watchful eye, all was as it should be.

…according to Lo Wei.

Zuko strained to swallow under the pressure against his neck. "Putting Azula on the throne won't help you, you know. She would have had you executed instead of simply dismissed."

With a frustrated scowl, Lo Wei removed his hand, rose, and strode back across the room to the table. He spoke while examining the tools he had been polishing when Zuko woke up, and did not spare his prisoner a glance.

"Princess Azula would never have gotten involved in the first place; she is true royalty. She would not have thought twice about my work. She isn't… _tainted_ from her time amongst peasants..." The financier turned slowly to look back on Zuko, one eyebrow dryly raised and a very sharp-looking knife in his hand. "…as you are."

"She may not have caught you, but your game has already been discovered. Even if you replaced me with her tonight, she would know your crimes by morning." The firebender's eyes flicked between the gleaming knife and Lo Wei's equally hard eyes. Despite his words, it seemed too late for reason; Zuko got the feeling that, even if he answered every question, this man was still going to cause him a lot of pain.

"Actually…" The financier began to stalk back across the room, frowning disgustedly down at the masked firebender. "I imagine she will be satisfied to leave sorting out the finances to her father's trusted financier. After all, the princess was never one to repeat her brother's mistakes. Making an enemy of me was the best thing you could have done to help my chances." He loomed over his prisoner, lip peeling up in a sneer. "Thank you, Fire Lord Zuko."

Zuko drew breath and opened his mouth to stall further, but Lo Wei kicked him hard in the gut, causing his head to bounce painfully off the wall.

"Now," said the older man in a brisk tone. "Enough with the pleasantries. Tell me where you're keeping her before I start taking pieces out of your disgraceful hide."

The firebender coughed and glared through his mask. "I don't remember. The Fire Nation has a lot of prisons, you know. It's tough to keep them all straight."

"I do hope…" Lo Wei once again crouched down to Zuko's level. His eyes were dark in the shadow cast by the lantern. "…that your memory returns before I've run out of space to carve." He smirked and raised the knife, tapping the tip against the wood of Zuko's mask below his bad eye. "More for your friend's sake, really. She seemed like such a sweet little thing…"

In the ensuing moment of silence, the chained man tried not to think about what might be happening to Katara as they spoke. _Oh, Agni_… "Leave her out of this. If you're going to hurt someone, hurt me."

"Oh…" A delighted smile spread over the older man's face. "I have every intention of hurting you." He lowered the blade to Zuko's bared pectoral, laying it flat against the skin. "But eventually, I will get tired of asking the same questions over and over and listening to you suffer. Then, I think it would be a welcome distraction for both of us to have a pretty girl around. Speaking of which…" He peered over his shoulder at the table, then turned back with a grin. "…you'll have a great view from here."

Zuko bared his teeth and surged forward, unthinkingly running himself onto the knife's tip. It didn't penetrate deep, but the sting was enough to snap him out of the moment of rage. He looked down. A narrow line of blood made its slow way down the rippled flesh of his belly and began absorbing into the waistband of his pants.

Lo Wei chuckled. "If you like her so very much, I'm surprised you started bringing her along on your little nightly jaunts… unless she lets you take her against the wall in alleys. How… kinky."

Head still hanging, Zuko tried to focus on the lingering pain of the cut instead of what his captor was saying, but it was difficult to ignore.

"Stupid, though, to bring along a toy you don't plan to share."

Under the mask, the firebender's eyes popped open. A toy. A girl. A friend.

…_helpless as a bound rabbit-monkey…_

…Katara?

He swallowed and raised his head, meeting the financier's smug gaze. Was it possible that Lo Wei had no idea how dangerous Katara was? She had only been working with him for a few nights, now…

Hope flared in Zuko's belly as possibilities occurred to him. Perhaps their captors hadn't heard rumors about the Red Demon. Perhaps they had underestimated her. Perhaps the eclipse had ended. Perhaps…

"But, let's not get ahead of ourselves. You were about to tell me where Princess Azula is and I was about to make you scream." Lo Wei smiled. The tip of the knife sliced into Zuko's flesh in an especially tender place over his ribs… and twisted.

Zuko screamed.

* * *

It was the skinnier guard, Yan, who answered. "The cellar – he's in the cellar with Lo Wei!"

When she had first learned that she had the ability to reach inside of people and control the flow of their blood, Katara had been horrified. Not only was the idea itself creepy, bloodbending was exactly the sort of unfair advantage that she had always associated with bullies. To take complete power over another being was inherently wrong; it was against Katara's very nature.

However, standing in the room where she had almost been raped, with the sliced ropes still hanging from her wrists and her breast bindings still a bit out of order, Katara was having trouble remembering why what she was doing was unfair.

"You both deserve to die."

Cho and Yan were still on their hands and knees, peering up at her in obvious fear. The waterbender's anger was starting to overshadow her sense of triumph, fed by outrage and the thrum of power in her own veins.

Her lip curled in disgust. "In the Water Tribe, men like you are exiled from the village – it's as good as a death sentence with the added benefit of no one having to soil their hands by ending such a _shameful_ life."

Yan was quaking. "Oh please! Please don't-!"

With a sharp thrust of her arm, Katara slammed him to his belly on the floor, effectively cutting off his plea. "You think I would lay your lives on my conscience? Oh…" Her head shook side-to-side, slowly. "…you mistake your worth."

"You can't do it, can you, Water Tribe?" Cho's lip curled up slightly and he dared to meet her glower. The waterbender could read the thought behind his yellow eyes.

_Weak_.

Even with the distance between them, Katara could sense the blood pumping through Cho's body, the ebb and flow of the water of his life. She closed her eyes for a long moment, listening to that whispered rush. Underlying and amplifying it, the moon's energy flooded her and there was a resonant throb of power in her core. She remembered the thick clouds, then; there must be another storm brewing.

When she again opened her eyes and set her gaze on Cho's smirk, her expression was stern. "I don't have to kill you to make sure that what you thought to do to me never happens to any woman ever again."

His smirk faded. Then, his eyes shot wide as she changed the angles of her hands slightly, targeting her bending to squeeze specific veins shut. Permanently.

* * *

Katara closed the door gently behind her as she left the room.

It was a small concession to make; both men had been hypersensitive by the time she had finished with them and had cringed where they lay curled on the floor at just the sounds of her footsteps. As the latch clicked into place, the decision she had made had already begun to eat at her conscience…

But, right now, finding Zuko was the most important thing.

The waterbender hurried through the corridor on light feet, quick eyes scanning the shadows for more guards. It became clear that she was in someone's home – likely in the upper mid-city or the lower end of the Nobles' District, judging by the size and the nice-but-not-too-nice décor.

Katara came around a corner a little faster than she should have and found herself face-to-face with three men in royal guard uniforms. They stared at her for a surprised instant, helmets tipping forward as they took in her state of undress, and then parted as she drew her arms across as if opening curtains. Their armored bodies slammed into the walls on either side of the corridor, then crumpled to the floor with clanks and muffled groans.

Past them, the waterbender found the stairs.

* * *

Zuko was breathing heavily, head hanging forward on a neck made weak by repeated strain. The light from the lantern glinted off the stripes of blood oozing from the many gouges across his chest and belly. The wounds were not especially deep and none were longer than the width of his index finger, but each had been excruciating; Lo Wei had a real talent for twisting a knife.

Presently, the financier was picking through his tools, holding up various pointy instruments as if to examine them and casting sly glances back over his shoulder at his prisoner. He kept talking, but Zuko's ears were ringing with pain and weariness and he was having trouble piecing together words and meanings.

He still hadn't given up the name of Azula's prison. He wouldn't. Even if he did, the pain wouldn't end. Lo Wei was having fun; it was obvious in his jovial tone, the smug up-turning of his lips. Zuko had looked into his sister's eyes enough times to recognize the glow of a sadist at play.

He was also holding out on hope. Hope that these fools had underestimated Katara's ingenuity and strength, that she had already escaped and was on her way here to find him, save him. Otherwise…

Zuko's eyes squeezed shut and he turned his head as if to look away from the very possibility. The hard edge of the Blue Spirit mask pressed sharply against his jaw. It had become increasingly difficult to breathe through the narrow cut in the wood over his mouth; there was not enough cool air to soothe the heat from his lungs.

"Poor fool…" Lo Wei finally settled on a forked steel rod – the purpose of which Zuko really wished he would never know – and was strolling back across the room toward him. "I imagine you would very much like to take that mask off, now, wouldn't you? It's too bad I can't trust you not to breathe flame at me." He stood over the kneeling captive, smirking and idly running his fingers along the length of the tool in his hands.

Zuko sneered up at him. His voice, when he spoke, was raspier than usual, hollowed out by his screams. "Come on, Lo Wei. I'm _very_ trustworthy."

"I'm sure." The financier crouched and rapped the poker sharply against the mask's white brow. The firebender jerked back. "But I'd rather you burned your own face to a crisp than mine. You understand."

Lo Wei, a smirk spreading across his thin lips, was lowering the pronged tool to a particularly sore spot on Zuko's chest when the shouting started out in the corridor. The financier turned to stare at the door, eyes widening.

"Hey! How did you get- Augh!" There was a heavy crash, as of an armored body hitting a stone wall, followed by the grating of metal being dragged across the floor towards the door. "Agni! Wi-!" There was a loud thump against the wooden barrier, then quiet.

Zuko couldn't help it. A relieved grin split his face. He looked up at Lo Wei, who had straightened, and barked a harsh laugh at the man's bewildered expression. Lo Wei's gaze switched immediately from the door to his prisoner and he seemed on the brink of saying something, but there was a metallic clank and the door flew open.

The person who had opened the door was not Katara. It was a royal guard… but he stood oddly, helmeted head hanging forward limply and the pointed toes of his boots scraping the floor as if he was strung up by invisible ropes.

"Corporal Chan! What is going-?" Lo Wei's question was cut off as the guard hurtled into the room and slammed against him. Both men sprawled on the floor, the guard on top, unmoving.

Then, Katara stepped into the room. Zuko's stomach sank even as his heart hummed.

Her shirt was missing, along with her zukin and fukumen, but there was a roll of fabric hanging loosely around her neck – a gag, he realized. Her hands were upraised, ready to bend if necessary, and ropes still cuffed her wrists, cut ends dangling. Her breast bindings were not as orderly as Zuko remembered from those days of swimming on Ember Island...

He swallowed back the sick feeling and focused on her fierce expression, her red-painted eyes that glowered at the struggling form of Lo Wei before turning to Zuko. He saw the moment Katara noticed his bloody wounds, the horror that drew her mouth open.

"Yue…"

"I'm okay. Can you get me out of these?" He shook his arms slightly to indicate the manacles, then winced. The muscles in his arms, back, and chest had become surprisingly stiff.

Katara offered a nod and her expression hardened again. Then, she was drawing water up from the floor around his knees and freezing it inside the mechanisms at his wrists and ankles. The metal grew bitingly cold against his skin and, with a burst of heat of his own, they cracked and fell away. He rubbed his wrists and leaned his back to the wall as circulation returned.

Lo Wei, meanwhile, had squirmed out from under the unconscious corporal, but hadn't quite managed to gain his feet before the waterbender noticed him and, hands taking on that familiar stiff posture, slammed his body against a wall. He stared down in horror, his only voluntary movements the slight twitch of his face as he spoke.

"A witch!" His eyes flicked to Zuko. "So this is the company Fire Lord Zuko keeps?"

Katara's eyes widened and turned to Zuko as well. "He knows who you are."

The firebender nodded. "He knew before he ever set the trap."

She blinked. "How?"

"I'd imagine…" Zuko struggled to his feet, still leaning against the wall. "…he has had a lot of complaints from former co-conspirators. Lo Wei was my financier… the one who orchestrated much of the corruption within the Fire Nation. He must have connected my suspicions with the activities of the Blue Spirit." He cleared his throat and shifted the mask so that he could breathe more easily. "But knowing a secret like that isn't worth much when your credibility is bad – and being dismissed by the Fire Lord makes for really bad credibility…"

He narrowed his eyes at the financier. "So who did you finally convince to help you, Lo Wei? I know you don't have the money to do this yourself, anymore – I made sure of that. Who loaned you these guards?"

The trapped man's mouth twisted shut and he glared back at the firebender mutinously.

Katara huffed her impatience and shifted her hands, guiding her captive to the table where his instruments of torture were all lined up. She let his hip slam into the table before forcefully seating him in the chair. He emitted a grunt upon each impact and cast a nervous glance at the waterbender.

"I understand that you like cutting things," she snarled.

Lo Wei's eyes widened as his hand shot up and grabbed a nasty-looking steel hook. He looked back and forth between the tool and the woman controlling him. "It was Governor Bau Li. _Former_ Governor Bau Li. He lent the troops and the money to pay off the watch."

Zuko swallowed. "That's a lie."

"Is it?" Katara brought Lo Wei's hand down and pressed the hook against the fabric covering his thigh.

"No! No, I swear it's true! Former Governor Bau Li – I have a note that he sent by messenger hawk to permit my use of his guards during his absence from the city. Please, it's here in my pocket. I can show you!" The financier's free hand – the one not pressing a sharp object to his own leg – came loose and dove into a pocket at his hip. The small scroll he held out rustled slightly with the shaking of his hand.

Zuko stepped forward stiffly and accepted the paper, unrolling it and casting his eyes over the words. He had to read it a few times because he kept skipping ahead to the end, where the familiar signature ended the missive.

"Well?"

He cleared his throat again and looked into Katara's questioning eyes. "It's true."

She seemed to sense his shock and sorrow because her brow furrowed and she inclined her head in a silent request for further explanation.

Zuko heaved a deep breath, feeling the incredible weary weight in his tight muscles and the sting of a dozen cuts reopening across his chest. He really wanted to sit down. "It was Lord Bau Li… Mai's father."

* * *

AN: BAMF women of fanfiction are so my kink...

Also, fanartists make me _soooo_ happy and I get _soooo_ excited when somebody hints that they might, maybe make art inspired by this story... just saying. You know. Planting seeds.


	25. Chapter 25

AN:** CHAPTER WAS REVISED - you may want to read it again.  
**

Thank you so much, reviewers! You are all fantastically awesome! Here's a slightly-longer chapter - hope you likes it!

* * *

ianam1983 (and also stracery): I don't know if you'll see this, since you've already reviewed this chapter, but... Don't be sorry. You have made excellent points and expressed totally justified unease about the turn that this story has taken. To be totally honest, I never planned to dip into such a dark and controversial place. I've been writing like a maniac – it just happened. I've kind of been hung up on it, too, actually… So, don't be sorry.

I absolutely agree with you – castration can't fix a mental problem. Expecting Katara's punishment to work on Cho and Yan belies a misunderstanding of what rape is about. It's immature and unrealistic and I'm pretty embarrassed that I jumped on that idea when it came to me... In my defense, though, it seems (to me, anyway) like the kind of idea that a freaked-out, angry, powerful teenager would come up with. I still don't entirely believe that Katara is capable of murder, so I went with what seemed like an in-character alternative.

Also, especially, I agree with your analysis of the impact that this act should have on Katara's character. I feel like I kind of sucked mud in my first go at this chapter and didn't pay nearly enough attention to her guilt or to Zuko's justified shock/fear – not just that she _can_ do this, but that she _would_. Genital mutilation is serious business. I got lazy and tried to avoid the drama that this situation really deserves.

I really value what you have had to tell me about the lingering sourness in the story and I'm doing my best to fix these things. The first step was a revision on this chapter… I would be honored if you will stick with me as I try to figure this thing out and I hope that the changes that I have made put you both a bit more at ease.

Also, also, I received a very thoughtful PM from another reader who (displaying a great deal of insight) pointed out THIS: "..._I admit to being a little disturbed by the comment that suggested that Katara's behavior/reaction might put someone off the erotica, but the fact that she was very nearly raped, and WAS sexually assaulted, apparently doesn't instill the same reaction. I feel like that can be indicative of the eroticization of rape-a story involving rape can still be all about the sexy tiems, but mutilation of the rapists? Well, that's just off-putting..."_

Genital mutilation is serious business, but so is sexual assault. I don't want to stir up ugly feelings over this, but I think it is very important that we all acknowledge that, yes, rape and its lingering emotional effects are frequently cast in an erotic light in fanfiction. Hurt/comfort, Capture fics, Slave fics... Many of these focus at some point on female weakness and male power and a lot of people find this sexy. I do not mean to criticize people who feel this way (to each hir own kink, after all) but I do want to take this opportunity to emphasize how the sexual abuse of women in fanfic is so commonplace, whereas comeuppance against their attackers is a squicky issue.

There are underlying messages about our cultures, here. That's all I'm saying.

* * *

Katara took a hard look at Zuko's down-turned mask and slumped shoulders, her own eyes widening as the implications sank in.

Really, though, they didn't have time to let anything sink in. They needed to make a run for it before any of the guards she had encountered raised an alarm and Zuko looked like he needed a healing before they could go far. He was so bloody…

And there was still Lo Wei to deal with.

"What do we do with him?" She looked between the nervous financier and the stunned firebender. Zuko didn't respond. Katara raised her voice. "We need to go. What do you want to do with Lo Wei?"

He looked up, but only shrugged. "Leave him here, I guess."

Katara's eyes bulged and she ignored the captive's relieved sigh. "What about secrecy? Our identities? What if he tells someone?"

"Bad credibility. He can't prove anything." Zuko paused, rubbed his face beneath the Blue Spirit mask. "He even had to leave my mask on so that his own guards didn't realize they were acting treasonously because he wasn't sure how many would rebel against him…"

The waterbender released Lo Wei – who immediately dropped the hook to the floor and slumped in his seat – and waved her arms in disbelief. "Really? You just want to let him go? Not only knowing what he knows, but after he… _cut_ you like this?" She gestured to his shredded skin, then threw a scowl at the financier. Her voice was low, her face drawn in hate. "Don't you at least want to take back what's owed?"

Lo Wei cringed under her sharp eye for the silent moment before she turned back to find Zuko looking at her. It was difficult for Katara to guess what expression he was making behind the mask. Finally, he spoke. "Are you okay?" He sounded… scared.

Her brows shot up. "Am _I_ okay? You're covered in your own blood and you want to know how _I'm_ doing?"

"You aren't usually this vengeful unless someone's… done something… to you. Did… did they…?" His voice was uncertain, but he took half a step toward her and his hands fisted at his sides. "Did they… _hurt_ you?"

"Oh." Katara blinked. Memory nipped at her. First, the heat of Cho's hands seeping through her breast bindings, his hot weight pinning her hips down. Then, his face sneering over hers with lust – the desire to take, to hurt and control, just because he could. That blinding slap.

…_just relax and be a good girl…_

She shook her head and closed her eyes, her hand shooting up to her cheek before she could think about it. "No. Maybe. I mean… I won." Katara stood straight, holding her head high, and met Zuko's eyes. "I won… and I took it away from them."

"Took what away?"

Her eyes widened and she frowned at the floor between them. She spoke a little faster than was usual for her, hastened by the need to explain herself. "I mean, you should have heard them talking like… like they'd kept women as prisoners tons of times and they knew just how to do it and, you know, that's not something I can scare out of a man – that… belief that he can just take advantage of helplessness and… _use_ women like… like _things_…"

She looked up at him again, jaw tight before she went on. "So I made the choice and took away their ability. Forever."

He blinked at her – she could see the flicker of his eyes in the lamplight. "You took their firebending?"

"No! No, I can't do anything like that…" Katara half-shrugged and peered back at the floor with wide eyes. Her face was heating. "I took their ability to… harden."

Zuko stared at her. She wasn't sure that he understood; the mask was getting really frustrating.

"…for sex."

He coughed and spoke hurriedly, looking away. "Yeah. Yeah, I got that… I just… I had no idea you could… do that."

"Actually, I didn't know, either. Until I did it." She shrugged and tried to force a smile, but found it harder than she had expected. For a long moment, she stared through the Blue Spirit mask, meeting Zuko's eyes. He did not speak. Knots of anxiety tightened in Katara's gut.

They didn't have time for this. She turned her gaze to Lo Wei and, half a second later, Zuko followed suit.

The financier had sunk low in his seat and was staring at the waterbender with a fresh wave of horror twisting his face. His hands were folded protectively in his lap.

Zuko cleared his throat again and spoke. "You should have heard some of the things Lo Wei was saying about you," he murmured, off-handedly.

Katara blinked. At first, she was confused, but she quickly picked up on his leading tone, his sideways glance; Zuko was giving her an opening into the intimidation game. She nodded subtly and narrowed her eyes at the financier. "What sort of things?"

"Mostly…" The firebender tried to cross his arms, but winced and set his hands on his hips instead. "…he threatened to have you brought into the room and… molested in front of me."

"How vile. What else did he say?"

Zuko pointed. "He implied a shocking potential use for that table."

Her lip curled. "Despicable." Lo Wei's eyes were huge and his mouth finally cracked open, though he seemed unsure of how to defend himself.

"He also supposed that you let me take you against the walls of alleys."

Katara's eyes darted over to the firebender. He could have been looking at her or the financier from behind that mask – she wasn't sure.

"All ridiculous lies, of course!" Lo Wei finally broke in, forcing a desperate laugh. "I was only, ehrm, trying to get answers to my questions! I would _never_ do something like that to… to such a nice young lady…"

Katara crossed her arms over her disordered breast bindings and frowned in thought for a moment. "I don't believe you. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't practice my new technique on you, right now."

"I'll do anything you want – anything! I… I'll never speak of either of your identities to anyone, ever – I give you my word. I'll even-"

"How do I know that you won't break your word as soon as I'm out of this room?" The waterbender lowered her head slightly, gaze hard. She began to raise her arms and Lo Wei shrank back. "I don't see any alternative…"

"I have an idea," Zuko said, quietly.

Katara turned an upraised brow to him, lowering her hands fractionally. "Oh?"

The mask of the Blue Spirit nodded slowly, then squarely faced the financier. "Lo Wei has committed treason – therefore he should be banished, according to Fire Nation law. I can't punish him officially without his web of corruption becoming aware that I know of their dealings." His tone darkened to a threat. "But by now Lo Wei must realize that the justice of the Blue Spirit and the Red Demon has no such consequence."

The financier emitted a soft keening sound.

Zuko ignored it and went on. "In exchange for our mercy tonight, he will leave the city on the first ship heading towards Ba Sing Se tomorrow morning. Upon his arrival in the Earth Kingdom, he will change his name and become like any other refugee. He will never speak of any of this, or of his life in the Fire Nation, to anyone."

Katara harrumphed. "And what if he fails to comply?"

The mask turned to face her. "You mean, if he decides he doesn't really want to keep his… ability? Then we'll find him." He looked back at Lo Wei. "I will be checking the list of outbound passengers, tomorrow. You had better hope that I find your name quickly or my patience will come to an end."

The financier quaked and sputtered an affirmative. Katara sniffed in disdain and shook her head slowly. It was only half an act; she wanted very much to administer some harsh retribution to this sniveling weasel.

"Don't you at least want to knock him around a little?" Zuko looked at her and, after a second, Katara shrugged. "You know… so he won't forget?"

"I don't actually… feel like it, right now." He _did_ look a bit wobbly, now that he mentioned it.

Katara turned to face him, a bit ashamed that she hadn't offered to help, yet. "Do you want me to heal you before we-?"

"No!" His hands snapped up between them and he backed away a step. The waterbender's eyes widened in surprise. "I, um… We need to go. Now." He began moving to the door, his stride smooth despite all the blood.

Perplexed, Katara began to follow him, but then turned a cold eye back to Lo Wei.

He peered up at her, looking innocent even with the tools lined up on the table before him. Her scowl deepened; he couldn't just get away with what he'd done to Zuko.

Katara leaned closer, looming over the financier. "You'd better hope there isn't a next time for you and me," she hissed. Then, with a quick jerk of her hand, she smacked his head against the wall beside him and let him drop, limp in his chair.

Zuko, watching in the doorway, turned away when she approached.

* * *

Getting out of the house wasn't so difficult. They climbed to the main floor and, at the sounds of some boots approaching from upper stories, dodged into a dark room that turned out to have a window. After squeezing through the narrow frame, they sneaked across the small yard, scrambled over the stone wall, and disappeared into the shadows.

They weren't as inconspicuous as usual with the paler flesh of their backs and shoulders seeming to glow in the dark, but the streets were empty due to the hour and the immanent storm.

The air smelled like the coming rain and, as they made their way through the alleys toward the palace, lightning banished the shadows for flashing instants before thunder shook the cobblestones. Katara could feel the storm building up above, could almost hear the wall of rain fast approaching across the sea outside the harbor. Zuko seemed determined to get back to the palace before the weather broke, but the waterbender knew they wouldn't make it.

Finally, she snagged his elbow and spoke over the wind. "Zuko, we need to stop somewhere."

After a moment of resistance, he nodded and led her down a few side-streets to what appeared to be an abandoned upper mid-city house. The small yard was ill-kept and most of the windows were boarded against thieves and squatters, but there was a second-story window that sat uncovered. After an unexpectedly challenging climb onto the roof overhanging the small porch, a final roll of thunder cracked and the rain came down, drenching both benders in the seconds it took for Zuko to pry the window open.

At last, they slipped inside, shut the window behind them, and stood together in the quiet of the house. The room was apparently a small office, but was clearly very out of use – dust lay thick over the desktop and most of the shelves were empty, as if someone had packed and left but didn't have space for everything.

Katara was more interested in Zuko, though. He stood outside of arm's reach and, when she moved away from the window, he stepped around her to get closer to it, maintaining a wide gap between them. Some distant lamplight cast a rippling glow over him and the waterbender could pick out individual drops of rain on his skin.

"Can I heal you, now?"

For a long moment, he was quiet and didn't look back at her. "Is that… a good idea?"

Katara blinked. "Why wouldn't it be?"

Now, he turned and pulled off the mask and zukin together in a wad. He faced her and the faint light cast across his concerned expression as well as his lacerated chest. The rain, she noticed, had washed away most of the blood. "What if you lose control?"

"Lose control?" Not entirely sure what he was getting at, the waterbender just stared blankly.

"…and, accidentally… _do_ something that you might not, you know, _mean_ to do…?" He watched her for a long moment and, when she seemed to still not quite understand, the hand holding the mask moved forward slightly, coming between Katara and his groin.

Her eyes widened. "Oh! That would be a really… challenging accident to have, Zuko…"

Somehow, he didn't look convinced. "But accidents happen, sometimes."

For a long moment, Katara had to think about this; it didn't make sense to her that he would be so concerned about her bending slipping out of her control… but then she nodded as the realization came to her.

Firebender.

"Bending water isn't like bending fire, you know…" With a sigh, she took a few slow steps towards him. He remained still beside the window. "When I bend, it isn't… harnessing the spark of life or redirecting passion or… whatever. It's… like listening. I listen to the water and the water listens to me. I mean, I've lost control before, but it's always in a general, obvious way. I get mad and I break ice or spill tea. Bloodbending…"

She crossed her arms over her bindings and peered down at the floor between them. "Bloodbending is… difficult. It's like listening to a bunch of songs at the same time and picking out which ones to stop and which ones to turn this way or that way. It takes a lot of power and concentration, especially when the moon isn't quite full. I couldn't _accidentally_ bend someone's blood. And…"

Katara's head shook slowly, her brow furrowed. "…and what I did to those men, tonight – that was definitely not an accident. As I said, I made the choice to take that from them." She swallowed and her voice lowered, uncertain. "Maybe it was a bad decision… I'm still not sure." She looked back up, expression firming. Zuko was watching her intently. "But I didn't get mad and lose control; I _chose_ to do it. I hope you know I would never hurt someone who didn't have it coming."

He watched her for a long moment, still holding the mask in its strategic position, but he finally nodded a little. "Yeah. I do know that." Zuko laid the mask down on the window sill and, for a moment, he was silent. Then, he frowned and went on. "But I really don't think you did the right thing, Katara."

She blinked, eyes widening. A hint of anger crept into her voice. "You… You think I should have… what? Given them a stern talking-to and just let them _go_?"

He quickly shook his head, waving one hand. His own voice was raised and his lips peeled back as he spoke. "No! I'm saying you should have just killed them."

The waterbender stared, taken aback. "Just… killed them."

Zuko looked down and rubbed the back of his neck. "Look… I think they deserved what you did. As much as the idea freaks me out, I trust your sense of justice. You chose to spare their lives and instead took away the thing they threatened you with. It's reasonable, even admirable as far as mercy goes… But, Katara…"

He heaved a sigh and looked back up at her, brow furrowed. "My father may not be able to firebend anymore, but he's still a monster. If he wasn't locked up, he would still be finding ways to hurt people. What you did won't stop those men from exploiting captives, again. You said it yourself – you can't scare it out of them because it's based on a belief. The problem is in their heads…" One of Zuko's shoulders tugged upward. "…not in their pants."

The waterbender blinked and looked at the window, not really seeing the rain pour down the glass. The anxious knots in her gut tightened. It was difficult to imagine the two men, who she had last seen cringing on the floor, looming over another woman on another night… but Zuko had a point. And how much crueler would Cho be when he was taking out his anger and frustration on someone else? Someone helpless and innocent.

Katara leaned against the desk and bowed forward, hands on her knees, with the sick feeling writhing in her belly. "Yue…"

Speaking quietly, now, Zuko went on. "I tried to tell Aang that his kind of justice wouldn't work, here. Not on this scale. He didn't understand…"

Looking up, she met his questioning gaze. _Do you?_

After a few deep breaths, Katara drew herself up and offered a nod. "I understand." She blinked and her shoulders slumped a bit. "…but I'm not sure that I could take a life, Zuko… even such a destructive one."

The firebender nodded, slowly, and cast his eyes down. "It isn't an easy thing to do – it never should be, anyway." He hesitated, then went on in an even lower tone. "I will tell you, though, that, as this nation's sovereign, it is my responsibility to protect my people and, when my choice is between the life of one and the suffering of many, it… can be surprisingly easy to choose."

Katara watched Zuko for a long, quiet moment. The rush of rain was all around, but the sounds were dampened, distant. Though the dim half-light only illuminated the scarred side of his face, she could see, faintly, the remorseful tilt of his eyebrow, the sag of his shoulders.

"Can I heal you, now?"

His eyes snapped back up to hers, but there was no hesitance when he spoke. "Okay." Zuko heaved a deep breath, flinched slightly, and watched as she stepped closer. Her hands came up and he drew back a little. "I'm pretty sore. Could you maybe just… do it slowly?"

Katara smiled and raised her index finger. She touched the pad to his shoulder, letting it drag across unblemished skin and collect the lingering beads of rain in a slow glide over his deltoid and along the valley of his collarbone. When she had gathered enough water, it began glowing softly and she trailed it over one of the gouged-open cuts. The wound sealed, leaving behind only a sore-looking red line.

Biting her lip in concentration, the waterbender healed most of the cuts across his upper chest in this way before she ran out of water.

"Better?" Her eyes darted back up to Zuko's, only to find them hooded and boldly set on her lips. Katara became suddenly aware of how close they were, how heavily he was breathing, and how the rain was pounding on the rooftop. Her mouth watered.

"Yeah. Much better." His voice came out low and, as he cleared his throat, his eyes flicked back up to meet hers. "Um… there are more, though…" So close, Katara could see him swallow before he leaned back against the window frame and peered down at himself, raising his free hand to indicate some especially ragged places on his ribs. His yellow eyes flicked up to hers, as if to gauge her reaction.

"Ouch…" Katara allowed her lips to turn up at their corners slightly as she leaned closer. "Poor turtle-duck…"

Zuko's eyes narrowed just a little and the first hints of a smirk tugged at his mouth.

She drew water from her own skin this time with slow sweeps of her palms down the sides of her neck, over her bare shoulders and arms. Zuko followed their progress avidly.

As she smoothed the healing water against his torn flesh with the tips of her fingers, she heard the slight hitch of his breathing. It was difficult not to notice now that his skin was exotically pale, that his pose, leaning back against the window, laid the muscles of his chest and belly on display to her, cast in rippling lamplight.

The rain pouring down the outside of the window tickled the edge of her consciousness, making her bold.

Katara drew water from her hair, next, raising her arms high and tilting her head back slightly as she bent her element free. She caught a glimpse of Zuko covertly scanning her torso, his eyes hot on her throat, her bound breasts, her firm belly. A tiny smile crept onto her lips. The way he looked at her… Her heart was drumming like the rain on the roof.

She healed the last of his cuts, but her fingers lingered on that pale skin.

"I love the way it rains, here…" she murmured, meeting his gaze. He blinked and cast a sideways glance out the window.

"Uh… yeah. Rain is… nice…" His eyes resettled on her and she noticed they looked almost tawny in this light.

"It's… exciting. The way the wind picks up and the storm comes in, unstoppable, implacable. Crashing against the sea…" Not entirely aware of doing it, Katara slid her fingers up the flat expanse of his pectorals, feeling the resonant throb of blood beneath in her heightened state of power. "And then the air is full of water. Everything is drenched, dripping… wet."

Zuko swallowed. His eyes kept flicking to her mouth. "I like wet…" He raised his free hand to her upper arm. His skin was incredibly warm as his fingers slid up from her elbow, as his palm made contact with her cool flesh. The sensation was very pleasant…

…and yet her mind immediately jumped to Yan's hot fingers brushing her upper arm in almost the same place. Her stomach clenched.

Katara pulled away, drawing up her hands to cross over her chest and clutch against her cold sides. Zuko straightened from the window sill and peered after her, looking bewildered.

"Katara? Did I do something wrong?"

She met his eyes. "No, no… I just… It's your hands, Zuko. They're really… hot."

He spared a glance for the hand he had touched her with and gave a little shrug. "I _am_ a firebender…"

"So were-" She cut herself off, but his eyes had already flicked over her defensive posture and widened in understanding.

"_Oh_." Zuko stared at her, his eyebrow upturned and his jaw slack. "Katara, I thought you got away before… anything happened."

"I did. But, I mean…" She shook her head, frowning off to one side. "I woke up with two strange men taking off my clothes. It was… really scary, Zuko."

For a long moment, he was quiet and, though she wasn't looking at him, the waterbender got the impression that he was scowling out the window. Then, he took a step toward her. She looked up into his concerned expression. "Is there anything I can do?"

Katara drew a deep breath and, after a moment, nodded. "I think I need a hug…" He took another step toward her before she raised an eyebrow and held up a warning finger. "…but no funny stuff. And no kissing."

"On my honor." The firebender stepped closer, shifting out of the direct light from the window, and opened his arms to her.

After a brief hesitation, Katara settled with her cheek against his bare shoulder and her arms loose around his warm waist, breathing in his smell – a bit like blood and sweat, but also hinting of rain and soap. His hands came around her and settled lightly high on her back.

When he spoke, she could hear both the vibration in his chest and the smirk on his face. "I didn't want to kiss you, anyway."

"Liar," she mumbled against his collarbone, her own lips quirking.

"Maybe." His scarred cheek pressed to her hair and his warm breath wafted behind her ear. "And maybe I'm… _concerned_ that your father will somehow find out that you came home in your underwear tonight and I want a clean conscience for our next… meeting."

Katara frowned. "There won't be any more 'meetings' between you and my dad, Zuko – not like what happened this morning."

He was silent for a long moment; she could feel his heartbeat pick up. "What do you mean?"

"Well, for one thing, he's pretty embarrassed about beating you up…"

"He didn't _beat me up_," Zuko huffed.

"…and," Katara pushed on, "I'm considering your proposal; as an adult of the Southern Water Tribe, the choice is mine to make. So, if anyone is going to discuss the terms or appropriateness of this potential union, it's going to be me."

The firebender was quiet for a long moment. He spoke in a hush. "You're still considering it? Even after tonight? After what almost happened?"

She turned her head slightly, chin still resting on his shoulder, and peered up into his scarred eye. "Do you really think I'm that easy to scare away from the people I care about?"

Zuko turned his head and tucked his chin so that he could look at her with both wide eyes. "You care about me?"

"Well…" Her shoulder hitched upward slightly and she allowed a smile. "Yeah. I like you. In fact, I like you enough to consider going along with your ridiculous scandal idea." A pleased smile spread across his face. "But you still haven't answered my question – and that's going to cost you some serious points if you don't get to it…" His smile faded and he blinked. Katara raised an eyebrow. "…and I mean, like, right now."

Zuko swallowed. "Right." His face assumed a thoughtful expression and he peered off across the room.

Katara resigned herself to waiting and, with a sigh, let her forehead rest in the cradle between his neck and shoulder. She hadn't really realized how cold she had become until she got close to him and began absorbing the heat radiating from his body. Now, finding that she wanted more of that delightful warmth, the waterbender let herself press closer to him, eliminating the distance between their bellies.

Against her back, the firebender's hot hands flexed slightly, but Katara noticed that his hips were set at an angle, maintaining a gap between their bodies there.

"This is not helping me to think of deep and meaningful reasons for why I want to marry you, Katara…" His voice was a rumble beside her ear.

She smirked against his collarbone. "If you have to think that hard, are you sure that you really want me?"

"Oh," he growled, fingers spreading against her skin. She shivered slightly. "I want you."

Katara hesitated, then swallowed. "Then tell me about it," she whispered.

* * *

AN: Thoughts on revisions? Nye?


	26. Chapter 26

AN: Foooo... Well, here's another chapter!

Most-exalted reviewers, your words of pleasure/support/constructive criticism have made this entire endeavor really great. Keep on rockin.

* * *

"Then tell me about it."

Her voice was muffled, her breath steaming against the top of his chest. Her arms hung loosely around his waist, hands cupped over the flesh of his lower back. Her belly, sealed against his, was cool and smooth and the sensation of her skin pressed to his was both soothing and maddening. He could _feel_ her breasts…

Zuko swallowed.

He wanted to move, to slide his flesh against hers in a near-frictionless brush. He wanted to unleash his hands and let them coast down her back, past the strips of her bindings to the curve at the base of her spine. He wanted to press his body fully against hers, hold her tightly to him, and sink into the herbal scent of her hair.

But Zuko did not do these things. No funny stuff. No kissing. They were straight-forward rules. Zuko could respect straight-forward rules.

He kept his body still and his palms lightly in place on her back. He kept his hips angled away so that she would not feel the erection he'd been sporting since she started that tantalizing one-fingered healing.

Despite everything that had happened since the start of the evening – Katara's bad experience, the revelation of her new (and frankly terrifying) ability, and his own torture and residual soreness – the firebender's arousal had lingered at the back of his mind, only to burst forth at the slightest provocation. Really, it was kind of embarrassing.

He blamed that look she'd had on her face back in his room at the palace.

"_You think I'm _scared_?"_ _He looked up at her, only to find her breathing elevated, her painted eyes alight and crinkling with a nascent smirk. _

Katara had stood there watching him pleasure himself and, when he met her eyes, she had not looked frightened or shocked in the least. She had looked amused, excited… aroused. The image wouldn't leave him.

Which made it even more challenging for Zuko to think straight with her breasts pressed against his chest, separated from his skin only by those thin layers of fabric.

He took a deep breath and forcefully turned his thoughts in another direction. He thought of his hot hands, enough like her attackers' to make her draw away from him. The lust guttered.

"Zuko?" Her breath was so humid against his skin… The lust flared.

_The hot springs had been humid, too. Uncle Iroh, rising out of the water, dripping…_

"Gah…" The firebender raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. It worked every time because, no matter how many years had passed, the horror never quite lost potency.

Katara's head tilted to the side so that she could peer up at him with a lifted eyebrow while still digging her chin into his shoulder as she seemed to enjoy…

Zuko looked away as he mentally scrambled, searching for the right words. "I… want you… Katara… because…"

Hadn't he given some pretty smart, respectable reasons to Hakoda just this morning? Why was it so much harder to think while looking into _this_ pair of blue eyes…?

He made the mistake of looking back into those eyes that, despite being out of direct lamplight, sparkled in the dim room… where they were alone… together…

…_Uncle Iroh, Uncle Iroh, Uncle Iroh…_

She seemed to be getting angry, a furrow forming between her brows. Zuko swallowed and latched onto the closest thing to mind, the smartest solution; what would Uncle Iroh say?

"…you're really… good," he offered lamely. When she only blinked at him, he peered off over her head and pressed on. "And… that goodness really, uh… _speaks_ to the goodness that is… within me."

She was silent for a long moment, then scoffed, incredulous. "You want to marry me because I'm _good_?"

"Yes… no. Partly." Zuko hazarded a glance down into the waterbender's eyes, only to find her staring dryly back at him. He looked away again, brow furrowing in thought. "You're… just and kind-hearted and… merciful – though maybe not tonight, so much…" His eyes flicked back to her, then away again. She still didn't look impressed.

Zuko took another big breath. "Sometimes, you're really fearless. I…" He looked down at the floor behind her. "It took me a long time to see you that way – because I thought of you for so long as an enemy standing between me and my own honor… I was so… _frustrated_ with you in the beginning – especially after I captured you that first time. You just _refused_ to cooperate. It was so obnoxious…"

She sputtered, drawing back from him slightly. "Oh, I am _so_ sorry-"

Zuko hurried on. "No! I mean that was what I thought then but, later, when I decided to join the Avatar, I thought about that whole scenario from your perspective. I…" He hesitated, then forged ahead. "Katara, I caught you alone and threatened you with pirates and tied you up. By all reason, you should have been terrified. You should have been willing to tell me anything I asked and, instead…" He tucked his chin to look at her, a smile pulling at his lips. "Instead, you told me to go jump in the river."

Katara settled back against him, but didn't quite return his smile. "I really believed in Aang. That was all."

Zuko smirked. "Right. Because belief is all it takes to inspire that kind of defiance in the face of danger."

She eyed him for a long moment and, just when the firebender started to think he was going to have to argue further about this, she shrugged. "Alright, fine. I'm brave. What else?"

"Um…" His eyes widened and he looked back at the floor for a long moment. What _else_ would Uncle Iroh say?

After the silence had stretched on for a while, Katara dryly murmured, "I'm _that_ good, huh?"

Zuko turned his head and met her eyes. He swallowed and spoke seriously. "Yeah. You are. It's… kind of inspirational, really. There have been times when you… actually made me want to be a better person."

At this, Katara smiled. It was a subtle up-turning of her lips, accompanied by a sparkle in her eyes. Her dimly-lit cheeks turned just a little red. Zuko couldn't stop himself. He reached up and brushed the pad of his thumb along the bottom edge of the paint on her cheek.

For an instant, her eyes widened in something that may have been panic. As quickly as it had come, though, it passed and she peered up at him, directly into his bad eye. "Tell me something else," she murmured, casting a slow gaze around the ridges of his scar. Zuko almost thought he could feel the contact of her eyes, like a physical touch. "Why else do you want me? Apart from how good I am."

He found that he couldn't look away. He swallowed, licked his lips. His thumb lingered against her cool, soft skin.

Uncle Iroh would say something wise about balance, about the struggle within all beings – and Zuko in particular – to find a middle road between innate goodness with the evil lurking in the shadows of the mind. Uncle would say something about complimentary parts working together to make a stronger whole.

Zuko, however, was drowning in lustrous blue and the part of his brain that was supplying substitute-wisdom was beginning to shut down. In place of Uncle Iroh, something else began whispering suggestions.

"I… I like how bad you are, too…"

"Bad? _Me?_" Katara's brow furrowed and she let out a little huff, peering away from him. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Zuko spotted the darkening of her cheeks and a little smile crept onto his face. "Mostly, it's how much you enjoy using intimidation to set someone back on the path of righteousness…"

"I do it because it's necessary." She sniffed, frowning.

"Sure. Me too. But you still like it."

Her blue eyes narrowed and snapped onto him. "How do _you_ know? Maybe I'm just a really good actress."

"When you finish with a target and send him running off into the dark, your eyes light up like it's your birthday and you can't wait for cake… And you keep barging into my room at unreasonably early hours, obviously excited to go."

She blinked and Zuko could see the moment she remembered just what she had walked in on at the start of this evening; her eyes widened and her cheeks darkened to a full-on blush.

The firebender couldn't resist; he bared his teeth in a sly grin. "…unless there's another reason you do that," he whispered. "Hoping to catch me in a towel again?"

Katara's jaw dropped. "Pure accident – both times!" Her brow furrowed and her chin jerked upward. "And who are you to go pointing fingers, Mister Likes-Groping-Himself-In-Front-Of-Others?"

Zuko's grin vanished and he felt his own face heating. "I do not! I just… got caught up in the moment…"

"Sure you did." She squinted thoughtfully at him. "You really would have done it right in front of me, wouldn't you?"

"I…" Momentarily flustered, he blinked down at her before taking note of the spark in her eyes, the tiny up-turning at the very corners of her lips… She was teasing him back.

Zuko forced a pensive frown, tilted his chin up, and peered down his nose at her, in spite of his hot cheeks. "I suppose I can admit to that…" His eyes narrowed. "…if you'll admit that you would have watched."

Katara didn't shy away, though her eyes widened. She seemed to be caught, locked in his stare, and she licked her lips before she finally managed speech. "I… I was curious. I've never seen a boy… do that, before." Zuko's blood heated and he fought the urge to react, to make inappropriate offers. Her blue eyes flickered in a blink before narrowing, as if she had decided that she wouldn't be outdone. Her voice took on a husky tone as she spoke a final word. "Yes."

"So…" Zuko tucked his chin, a victorious smile taking his lips. "Why didn't you?"

"What, and take advantage of you when you seemed completely unaware? Do you _really_ think I'm that depraved?"

"You aren't depraved…" He turned his head slightly to cast her a thoughtful, sideways look. The sounds of rain were diminishing, so the quiet was intense as he paused. "…but you _did_ seduce me into kissing you for the first time in an _alley_…"

"Oh, that _hardly_ counts!" Katara shot him a frown and Zuko straightened as she prodded the tender flesh above the back of his hip. "_You_ were the one who backed me up against a wall in the palace when anyone could have wandered by! No need to pose for a scandal, then, huh?" Her cold fingers dug into his skin a second time, lightly pinching now.

"Stop that!" Zuko snarled and squirmed in her arms. The pinches didn't hurt; they tickled. Zuko _hated_ tickling. He withdrew his hands to reach down and twist his fingers through hers, tugging them away from his sensitive flesh. The pinching abated, but, with her arms trapped around him, she still clung close, peering up at him like a mutinous barnacle. He frowned down at her. "You're as much to blame as I am for that, you know."

"Oh really? How's that?"

"_You_ backed into the wall and _you _touched _me_, first. Remember?"

She seemed to retreat somewhat – her fingers relaxed in his and her gaze dropped down and to one side, brow furrowed with a thoughtful frown – but Zuko couldn't seem to stop himself. He sighed and, in a softer voice, persisted. "You started that entire scene by picking a fight over a stupid insult against me, Katara. It was pretty obvious that you liked me, then, and you've already said that you still do. Why can't you just say yes and stop wasting our time with this pointless game?"

There was silence, but Zuko didn't realize that the rain had stopped. He could only look at her.

It was as if a cloud had passed over the moon, but the angry shadow only appeared on Katara's face. She stared at him for a long while, eyes narrowing as the seconds passed. When she finally spoke, her voice was low and dangerous. "'Just say yes?' Zuko, this isn't a simple favor you can ask me and then just expect a quick answer. I like you, but that doesn't necessarily mean I want to marry you."

"A favor?" The quiet, raspy voice in the back of Zuko's head had made a resurgence and was telling him to calm down and just let this go; it said that patience cost nothing but impatience bore a heavy price. As he had done so many times before, the firebender did not listen. Outrage and something else – something much closer to the bone – warred within him. "A _favor_? I, the Fire Lord, ask you to marry me and you consider it doing _me_ a _favor_?"

Katara shrugged, shaking her head slightly in wonder. Her furious expression remained constant. "You said it yourself; _you_ have to get married. _I_, on the other hand, don't. I can do as I please with my life – I don't have to be the Fire Lady. So, yes; I think of agreeing to your ridiculous scheme, in part anyway, as doing an old friend a very big favor."

Zuko sensed that she was slipping away and, in a moment of panic, he scrambled for something that meant a lot to her – something that could draw her back. "What about the good of your people? Won't they resent you if you pass up this opportunity for a lasting alliance with the most powerful nation in the world?"

Her lips pinched into a tight frown. "My people think the same way that my father does. They'll understand if we all have to work a little harder because I decided not to sell my entire life away to… to some arrogant hothead!" She released his fingers and began drawing away from him.

Zuko's eyes narrowed and he pulled back as well. They stood separated by a foot of empty space that felt much larger than it looked. His lip curled, seemingly beyond his control. "At least I didn't grow up in a tent made of animal skins."

Katara jabbed a thumb against the top edge of her breast bindings. "At least _I_ don't sit in my palace, gazing down on my people in their poverty… _Your Majesty_." She offered him a mocking bow, glaring up at him the entire time.

The firebender narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his bare chest. His sealed wounds stung. "I do _not_-"

"The rain's stopped," Katara snapped. "Let's just go."

"Fine." Zuko spat the word before turning, yanking on his zukin and mask, and shoving the window open with a little more force than was necessary. Despite the sharp sound of the wood swinging wide, despite the fact that he was facing away from her, he still heard her growled word.

"Fine."

* * *

They parted silently as soon as they entered the palace proper and made their separate ways to their own chambers. Katara dodged around a lot of corners, made even more paranoid by her state of undress, and held her breath as she eased through the door into the dark lounge.

No one was there. She released a sigh and gave a silent prayer of thanks to Yue; she wasn't sure whether she would have exploded or broken down if her father had been waiting again, but it would have been a nightmare, either way.

Katara was very, very tired. She was so tired, she felt as if a big scoop of her guts had been taken out and replaced with a lump of ice… nasty ice from the shallow end of the pond, full of mud particles and bits of chewed-up leaves.

The waterbender was quiet when she slipped into her dormitory, but it was hard to be quiet enough. Toph snorted and rolled over, grumbling loudly into her pillow.

"…I'll have your loyalty or your head on a pike. Do not underestimuh-" The rest of her words were swallowed by the down.

Katara sighed, rubbing her cold shoulder as she passed Suki's empty bed on her way to the wardrobe. She bathed. She changed. She crawled beneath her blankets.

For what seemed like hours, the waterbender lay curled on her side, listening to Toph snore and periodically rolling over. No matter which way she faced, though, her worries went on whispering at the back of her mind and her guts wouldn't thaw.

* * *

"Katara. Get up, or I'll tell Snoozles you're too sick for the meeting."

"Naugh! I'm up!" The waterbender dragged her sleep-numbed body to the edge of her bed and oozed out onto the floor.

This wasn't the first time she had been called or shaken or threatened this morning, but Toph hadn't resorted to this level of intimidation for a long time… and anything, from cold floors to sleep deprivation, was better than Sokka trying to nurse her back to health.

Bleary-eyed, Katara struggled to find the will to stand up. She spotted Toph standing between her and the glaringly-sunlit windows with her hands fisted on her hips and a frown on her face.

"M'up." The waterbender rubbed her oddly-sore face and threw an arm over the bed to pull herself to her feet. Once vertical, she grumbled loudly to clear her throat and staggered off to the vanity.

Toph didn't exactly follow her; she just rotated ninety degrees to go on facing her. "Sounds like you had a busy night – good times?"

"Mm." Katara stared down at the basin for a long moment, then peered up at her reflection. She blinked. The girl in the mirror couldn't be her.

Her hair had come undone during her twisting in the night and was loose in bushy waves behind her. Her eyes were darkly circled – which stood out strongly against her exhausted pallor – and looked as dry and blood-shot as they felt. And, sprouting from the corner of her mouth was an enormous bruise, vivid in shades of red and purple, where Cho had hit her. Her breath caught as reality came hammering home.

"I guess that's a 'no.'"

She had almost forgotten that Toph was there and unthinkingly raised a hand to cover the mark before forcing it back to her side. In the mirror, she watched the stout girl's arms cross over her chest.

"Wanna tell me what happened or keep on pretending that you're always this stiff and zonked-out?"

"I… don't really want to talk about it." With a measuring glance at the earthbender's reflection, Katara drew some water from the pitcher and began lightly massaging it into the bruise. The swelling and pain faded significantly, but the color faintly lingered – a result of going too long without treatment.

As her hand fell away, the waterbender's gaze flicked up from the slight reddish blotch and, with a sigh, she took in her own stricken expression. Seeing the aftermath laid out so plainly was… shocking. It was evidence that that awful thing that should have been a nightmare had actually happened, that Cho and Yan had been real… and that what she had done to them had been real, too.

"Katara…" Toph took a few steps closer and stopped, face turned down and slightly away as if her hair might conceal her worried expression. Her voice was uncharacteristically quiet – not gentle, but low and firm. "What did you just heal and why are you so freaked out about it?"

The earthbender was using her actual name… Katara had trouble bringing herself to brush her off. "Just a bruise. It's really no big deal, Toph."

"Right, right. Bruise on the face, no big deal…" With a sour frown, the girl uncrossed her arms and again set her hands on her hips. "Your heart's buzzing like a lemur on cactus juice, you know."

The waterbender heaved a sigh. "I know." She picked up a brush and started fighting her hair back into a braid. It snagged and tugged infuriatingly, driving Katara to brush harder. Her eyes welled up.

With a huff, Toph turned and began walking toward the door. "You'd better hurry. The meeting starts at-"

"What meeting?" Katara snarled and whirled simultaneously, the brush caught on an especially stubborn tangle. A few hot tears spilled down her cheeks.

The earthbender turned back and faced the older girl squarely, expression bland. "I don't know. All I know is what people tell me. Snoozles said you needed to be ready for a meeting by the start of the next hour. He didn't say what it was about." She shrugged. "Maybe it's no big deal, too."

Katara swallowed past the lump in her throat and dropped the brush back on the vanity. Her eyes were pouring now and her stomach felt like it was full of angry bees. She needed to get her mood under control. When she spoke, the tears were obvious even in her voice, making her warble slightly. "Toph… I'm sorry for being so secretive and for snapping at you… and I'll understand if you say no… but would you do me a big favor?"

Toph stood still for a long moment before she heaved a sigh and rubbed a palm over both blind eyes. "I'm not gonna like this, am I?"

Katara rubbed her slick eyes with the back of her arm and half-sobbed, half-laughed. "Probably not."

"Let's get it over with, then." The stout earthbender stumped back across the room.

* * *

AN: Woof. That first scene was an incredible pain in the butt to write. All feedback is appreciated, cherished, and taken entirely too much to heart.


	27. Chapter 27

AN: Thank you, reviewers! You are all amazing and wonderful!

Fanart! Thanks, alagaesha! You rock - it's lovely and wonderfully emotionally-loaded! :D http:/alagaesha(dot)deviantart(dot)com/art/His-Majesty-Prefers-Blue-182710629?q=sort%3Atime+gallery%3Aalagaesha&qo=0

For those who expressed a belief that the fight was forced - you're right. It was forced. And it was difficult for me to decide to go there, in the first place. In revision, I would like to make it less obvious (and suggestions to that end are very welcome) but, after that last go at revision, I have decided that it is to be avoided in the current first-draft write-a-thon. I will say, though, that the fight was very necessary, not just to bring in more stupid angst, but to set the stage for realistic emotional epiphany. There are glorious conflicty-things that I want to include in this story and, if the tides weren't turned, my grand plans would all come toppling down in an inglorious and ill-timed conclusion. Total mood-killer.

So... here's the new chapter. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

"Katara, I'm sorry you had a bad night or whatever and you know I like you and all… even though I suspect that your idea of 'girl time' is secretly all about making me suffer in the most creative ways imaginable… but this is really… I'm really not comfortable with this." They sat side-by-side on the edge of Suki's undisturbed bed and, true to form, Toph patted Katara's back hesitantly, as if she was hugging a body-shaped sack of blasting jelly.

The waterbender sighed wetly into the shoulder of her utilitarian tunic. "I just need a couple minutes to… collect myself. That's all."

"Yeah, well… you owe me big for this."

"…You aren't being very comforting."

"I'm not good at comforting. I'm good at smashing stuff. If you want comfort, I could go get Snoozles or… pretty much anybody but me. Sparky's probably already in-"

"No." Realizing that she'd spoken a bit more harshly than she'd intended, Katara went on. "You're here and you're doing fine." She sniffed and let a few more tears seep out onto the sturdy fabric.

Toph was quiet for a long moment. Her hands, where they patted lightly at Katara's back, were hard and warm… though not as warm as Zuko's hands had been. The waterbender heaved a shuddering sigh.

_Pat, pat… pat… pat-pat-pat…pat._

Finally, the earthbender's shoulders drew up as she heaved a deep breath and spoke. "I know you don't want me to ask, but… I can't just _not_ ask, you know?" There was an awkward pause. "Did Zuko hit you?"

Katara sat back, wide-eyed. "No! Of course not! How can you even think-?"

"Okay, okay! Sheesh…" Toph held up her hands as if in defense. "Sorry for caring…" Seeming to take advantage of the opportunity to end hug-time, she turned to face forward, hands braced on the bed behind her.

The older girl settled with her elbows on her knees and frowned at the floor. "We did kind of argue, though." She shot the earthbender a glance and, seeing only a bland frown, went on. "I mean… I said some things that… weren't entirely nice… but he said this thing that was just…" Her hands clenched into fists on her thighs and whether or not Toph was listening became less important. "Ugh! He obviously looks down on me for being Southern Water Tribe. I can't believe I didn't see that coming! Besides, he started pressuring me to make a decision about _marriage_ and, you know, I don't think I really _want_ to marry someone who-"

"You don't want to get married right now, period." Effectively silenced, Katara blinked. Toph shrugged. "It's understandable that you'd come up with excuses and talk yourself out of it. I mean, you _just_ got promoted from your brother's keeper to ambassador and that's a big deal; no daughter of your people has ever had that kind of opportunity, before."

The waterbender stared down at her empty hands, frowning. "But I-"

Toph pressed on, her tone a bit dismissive. "Besides, you always thought you'd fall in love and marry when you felt ready, didn't you? That's the way your people have always done things; it only makes sense that you'd expect it to go that way. Sparky probably envies that freedom, but on a level, he's always going to put the needs of his country before his own, because that's the way _his_ people do things." She shrugged. "It probably wouldn't work out between you two, anyway."

"It could work out just fine if he wasn't being such a jerk about it," Katara snapped. She waved her arms. "I mean, he insulted me about growing up in a hide tent! How is that okay?"

"It isn't. He probably lost his temper and said the first not-entirely-nice thing that popped into his head – and that's not okay, Katara."

The young woman's shoulders slumped and she stared at the blind earthbender for a long moment. Toph's tone hadn't been agreement; it had been a reprimand. Katara realized, with a little jolt, that she was being reminded of her own part in this fight.

Toph went on. "Look, I'm not trying to excuse his behavior. I'm just pointing out that you two are from very different worlds. Case in point, his people would be ashamed of their rulers living in tents because it reflects poorly on the Nation. You and your family are proud to live beside your people, as your people live, because it reflects the worthiness of the lifestyle of the Southern Water Tribe. Get it?"

Katara heaved a gusty sigh and began slowly pulling her hair back into a braid. "Yeah, I guess."

"And, for the record, Sparky _doesn't_ look down on you. He actually really seems to like you."

In her hair, her hands stilled. She remembered his awkward stammering the previous night, his struggle to find the right words. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, though it was a weak pull. "…yeah, he does, doesn't he?"

"Not that that matters, or anything."

"What? Why wouldn't it?"

Toph's shoulders pulled up. "You don't want to get married. He has to. If you won't do it, he has to find somebody else."

"I didn't…" Katara scowled off to one side and she hurriedly tied off her braid. "I didn't _say_ that I wasn't still… considering the possibility…"

"Well, you'd better make up your mind in a hurry. He may like you, but he can't wait around forever for you to dig your head out of the ground."

For a long moment, the waterbender frowned at the earthbender. She was experiencing mixed feelings about this conversation, as if she had been helped and simultaneously told off. Handled. "When did you get so smart, Toph?"

"It's a combination of my natural awesomeness and the rigors of a Bei Fong upbringing. Are you comforted, yet?" The question was impatient, accompanied by a dry uplifting of the eyebrows.

Katara rolled her eyes, a smile pulling at her lips. "Yeah. Thanks."

The younger girl's arms crossed forcefully over her chest. "Good. Because, honestly, if I have to sit here, listening to your sob stories and explaining the intricacies of culture clash every time you and Sparky pick a fight, my reputation is as good as blown. People will start to think I've gone soft."

Katara couldn't quite stop a weak laugh at the thought. "Yeah, you might get asked to lend a crying shoulder more often. Very un-Rumble Champ."

Toph shuddered and pulled a face. "Yup, total nightmare."

Both young women startled slightly when some insistent object began banging on the door. It was followed shortly by Sokka's voice. "Katara! We need to go _right now_ or we'll be late to the meeting of the tribes! Dad will flip – come _on_!"

If he could have seen her expression of panic or the way she scrambled to get into some fresh clothes, Sokka may have been pleased. As it was, he was content to go on banging on the door and yelling threats until it opened. Toph just sat on the edge of the bed, bouncing her calves against the side of the mattress until Katara turned to go.

"Your shirt doesn't match your pants," she offered, helpfully.

Katara pulled up short, wide-eyed, and peered down at herself. "Sure it does – the trim is a little different, but…" Her eyes narrowed and she looked back at the grinning earthbender. "You know, that joke was funnier before you started growing breasts."

Those glazed green eyes bulged and Toph's arms crossed firmly over her chest. "You can see them? I thought the bindings would…" She caught the sound of Katara's snickering and her arms dropped. "Oh, ha ha, Sugar Queen! You'll pay for that one, later – count on it."

_Bam-bam-bam_! "Katara! We have to _goo_!"

"Alright, alright!" She stalked across the room and whipped the door open to find Sokka's lanky body filling the doorway, his fist still upraised and ready to continue pounding. His blue eyes settled on her face, at first annoyed but then, as he began to absorb what they were seeing, growing more alarmed.

"What happened to your face?"

"Oh… I, um…" Katara offered a tiny shrug and a half-smile. "Crime-fighting – you know… Don't we need to go?"

Sokka was looking more closely at her, now. "You've been crying." He blinked, brow furrowing. "There's a bruise on your face and you've been crying. Katara, what happened?"

"Nothing… permanent. Stop worrying so much." She held up her hands, trying to fend off his concern. "How about I tell you all about it when we're _not _about to miss the most important meeting of our lives as young leaders?"

Sokka blinked and retreated slightly, letting her pass through the door. "Right… but… Katara, are you sure it's a good idea for you to show up looking like…?"

Head held high, she strode past him. "I can't just _not_ go. Besides, it's not all that bad… Maybe no one will notice."

* * *

People noticed. As Katara and Sokka hurried along one corridor after another, more and more eyes seemed to snag on her face. Eyebrows rose. Jaws slackened.

Sokka leaned close beside her and murmured through his teeth. "Are you sure about this? You know they all think somebody beat you up."

The waterbender went on walking with her back straight and her head held high. Her face settled into a determined frown. "They can think what they want. I'm not missing this meeting over one stupid bruise."

"Okay…" Katara didn't see him roll his eyes, but she could hear it in his voice. She ignored him; her mind was whirring as it was.

At last, they came to the meeting room. Sokka, as the older child, led the way. With a deep breath, Katara smoothed her expression to a calm blank and followed him inside.

The room was filled with a low table surrounded by sitting mats. Most of the mats were occupied with significant Water Tribesmen; among them were Hakoda, Bato, Master Pakku, Chief Arnook, and Elder Adiak, the Northerner who had chastised her father the night before.

Several pairs of blue eyes (including her father's) fixed on Katara's bruised face, immediately. Having expected this, it wasn't hard for the waterbender to avoid eye contact and maintain her tranquil expression as she made her way to sit on the last empty mat, between Sokka and Hakoda.

"Master Katara." She met the chilly gaze of her old teacher, who sat across the table. Pakku's expression was stern, but touched with the faintest hint of something like concern. "I think I can safely say that I am not the only one present who is troubled by your appearance."

Katara frowned and tilted her chin down briefly before straightening and locking eyes with the other waterbender. She certainly _hoped_ he was talking about the bruise… "Understandably so."

He waited a long moment for an explanation, then dryly arched an eyebrow. "Dare I ask what happened?"

Katara did not debate with herself. She had decided how to answer this inevitable question in the minutes it took to walk here. Uncertainty would only raise suspicion. "Thank you for your concern, Master Pakku. To spare my pride, I won't say what happened, exactly… Suffice it to say that the combination of the rain and the full moon made me restless and the addition of the lunar eclipse resulted in… a blunder on my part."

The old man (and every other man around the table) watched her sheepish expression for a long moment. Beside her, Sokka folded his arms over his chest. "It was a volatile combination of elements," Pakku admitted, at last. "…and the young are not known for their foresight."

"Do not be embarrassed, Master Katara." Elder Adiak, further down the table, nodded his head wisely. His face was as wrinkled as an old apple and, when he smiled, it became clear that he lacked some teeth. "Older and more culpable men have made greater blunders."

Though Hakoda did not give any outward sign of it, Katara knew the barb was meant for him. She nodded politely, but refrained from commenting.

Chief Arnook cleared his throat and it was immediately clear that the meeting had come to order. "Chief Hakoda, it is my understanding that you intend to drastically increase trade with the Fire Nation and that you have put forth Master Katara as an ambassador. Is this so?"

"It is." Hakoda sat as straight as his daughter, beside him.

Arnook continued asking questions about the specifics of the trade agreements that Hakoda intended to cement in upcoming meetings with the Fire Lord. Hakoda asked questions about the North's new policies on permissible Fire Nation naval presence in Water Tribe seas. Occasionally, one of the other tribesmen would offer up some relevant information, but both chiefs seemed to know a ridiculous number of details about production rates, shipping capacity, and steamer patrols on their own and hardly needed their respective councils' assistance.

Despite her rigid posture, Katara had to blink firmly a number of times to ensure that she didn't doze off. Her back was stiff with unrest and her guts still felt tight and cold – she was convinced it was a result of the lack of sleep. Beside her, Sokka kept twiddling his thumbs in his lap; he probably felt as useless as she did, by now…

Katara became keenly aware of Hakoda's tension. It was not something that just anyone could see, but she was his daughter and she had watched his jaw set at that angle for the past year whenever negotiations began to wear on him.

Arnook and Hakoda had locked gazes and seemed to be engaged in a staring contest. The Northern Chief went on. "I will be blunt on this topic, as I'm sure you would prefer. It confuses me that you would choose to send your daughter as an ambassador to a strange land when the benefit to the Water Tribe, as well as to her, would be substantially greater if she served as a political bride."

Suddenly wide-awake, Katara blinked and her gaze flicked back to her father. He did not even flinch before answering. "As I have explained to you and many of your men already, Chief Arnook, political marriage is not the way of the Southern Water Tribe. As for her appointment as ambassador, my daughter is brighter and braver than many of the young warriors I have known and will easily fill the post. She is well-liked by the people of the Fire Nation and calls Fire Lord Zuko friend." His clear blue eyes flicked slightly sideways at Katara and his lips curled upward. "There is no better candidate amongst my people."

The waterbender's eyes widened and her face heated with the praise as she returned her father's smile. Her gaze snapped back across the table as Master Pakku spoke.

"None here would argue Master Katara's capability to accomplish any task laid before her. Her determination and skill are well-known to the Northern Water Tribe." He offered her a faint nod of his head, which Katara returned… as soon as she overcame her shock.

"Master Pakku speaks truly." Arnook went on, his head tilting slightly to one side as he spoke. His gaze was still set on Hakoda. "And I believe we are all aware that she is well-acquainted with the Fire Lord. As are you, Chief Hakoda. The story of your early-morning conference has already spread throughout the palace."

Hakoda blinked but otherwise did not react.

"I suppose congratulations are in order." The look on the other chief's face bespoke reproof and his tone was dry. "You have managed to alienate our new and exceptionally powerful ally while simultaneously casting the Water Tribe as brutes for a global audience." Arnook raised a brow, mouth twisted into a distasteful frown. "Well done, Chief Hakoda."

Katara watched from the corner of her eye as her father heaved a sigh and frowned down at the table before him. When he spoke, he looked up to meet the other man's eyes again. "I admit that my interaction with the Fire Lord was very inappropriate for two leaders meeting in peacetime. However, we both shared a part in the blame for the situation escalating as it did and we parted on good terms, considering our differences in opinion. I don't believe it will become the international shame that you describe."

Arnook watched Hakoda for a long time. Then, his gaze slid sideways, pausing on Katara's bruised face and then proceeding to Sokka. "It occurs to me now that, when your children came to the North Pole, I witnessed both of them pick fights during their short stay with us…" Katara's eyes widened. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her brother's face turning red. "Sokka tackled my then-future-son-in-law and Katara shocked my entire council by challenging Master Pakku to a waterbending duel." His eyebrow again quirked upward. "She, at least, insisted that they take it outside."

"Is that so?" There was an edge to Hakoda's tone. "I hadn't heard that part of the story…"

Rather than turning her head to see her father's expression, Katara met Sokka's embarrassed gaze with her own. His eyes flicked over her head to gauge Hakoda's reaction and widened before shooting down to the table before him. Taking it as a bad sign, the waterbender turned her eyes to the table, too.

Arnook went on. "Tell me, Chief Hakoda, are physical altercations another facet of Southern culture that your people work to uphold?"

His voice was low. "No. They are not." He paused and Katara caught the motion in her peripheral vision as he raised a hand to scratch thoughtfully at the bearded underside of his chin. "But, sometimes, they do seem extremely necessary."

There were some murmurs down the table. Katara straightened and looked at Arnook, offering a shrug. "I never would have been accepted as a waterbending pupil if I hadn't lost my necklace fighting."

"And, you've gotta admit, me jumping Hahn turned out to be a great excuse for you to take me off that secret mission." Sokka leaned an elbow on the table and tried a hopeful grin.

Arnook did not look impressed. "Both instances of a lack of self-control resulted – quite accidentally – in a positive outcome. I fail to see the value of your strategy."

Sokka blinked, his grin fast losing support like a punctured war balloon. "No one expects tactical chaos?"

The Northern Chief blinked and stared dryly at the young warrior for a long moment. "Be that as it may… picking a fight with the Fire Lord, himself, seems like a very easy and foolish way to end our truce." He shot Hakoda a frown and went on. "What's more, it was my intent when I called this meeting to assert the position of the Northern Water Tribe; the South's refusal of this opportunity on the grounds of outdated tradition was petty and dangerous to the Water Tribe as a whole. As Chief of the North, I urge you to reconsider."

Hakoda's arms crossed over his chest. "Chief Arnook, I'd like to respectfully remind you that the war is over. The Southern Water Tribe will not bow to the Fire Nation as if still afraid." His brow furrowed. "We will not bow to our cousins in the North, either. Our traditions stand. Katara will marry who and when she sees fit."

Arnook's frown deepened and his hands closed into fists on the tabletop. "The Southern Water Tribe is currently in a rare and admirable position; the Fire Lord has shown a strong interest in making reparations. Do not think that generosity will last forever without some sacrifices, Chief Hakoda." His eyes switched to the waterbender and his head shook slowly. "Such a union would benefit both of our peoples, Master Katara. Please, reconsider."

Her eyes widened and she folded her hands in her lap. "I… haven't actually said 'no,' yet…" A hopeful gleam entered Arnook's eyes and a few other faces perked up at this news. Hurriedly, Katara went on. "However, I _have_ decided to uphold the traditions of my people. If I accept the Fire Lord's proposal, it will be for personal reasons."

"You do not consider the advancement of your people a personal endeavor?" Arnook frowned at her and Katara's mind skipped immediately to that last sight of Yue as she ascended into the night sky. This was a man deeply familiar with personal sacrifice for the good of all. In her lap, her hands clenched together.

"Please understand – I want very much to help the Water Tribes, but I must think first of my own. The best way for me to help the Southern Water Tribe is not to marry well and win them prestige and resources; we survived for decades without these things." She gave a short nod and her beaded locks swayed slightly by her jaws. "Rather, I will help my people by doing as we always have and showing the world the value of Southern Water Tribe tradition. If I marry, I will marry for love."

For a long moment, there was quiet. Arnook's frown did not soften. At last, a wizened voice broke the silence. "Well?" Heads turned toward Elder Adiak. "Do you love the Fire Lord or do you not?"

All of those heads turned toward Katara. She swallowed. "I… I'm still thinking about it." Her wide eyes narrowed. "And that's not an appropriate topic for this meeting."

Adiak's expression soured, but Arnook was the one to speak. His expression was stern. "Out of respect for our sister tribe, the North has abstained from offering marital candidates to the Fire Lord. However, the Water Tribe cannot afford to sit back and watch the Earth Kingdom gobble up a political tie that we desperately need. During tomorrow evening's festivities, our policy will change publicly. I suggest you think faster, Master Katara."

She blinked. "Festivities?"

"In honor of increased cultural understanding between our nations, Former General Iroh has organized a ball." On the table top, his fingers wove together into a solid dome. "The daughters of the Northern Water Tribe will be in attendance. Rest assured that they will be _decisively _seeking the favor of the Fire Lord."

* * *

Zuko's head was pounding, as it had been since Lin woke him that morning.

It was odd that she would wake him at all; despite his current lack of sleep, he almost always jerked awake when the sun first spilled through his windows. Today, though, his inner fire seemed to gutter even when he stood in the hot morning light.

It was probably just the exhaustion catching up with him… though, oddly, the firebender found himself full of a furious restlessness. He didn't dwell on it.

His morning meetings were needlessly trying. It was as if, even if Zuko had agreed to every suggestion laid before him, the Fire Nation nobles sitting around the table would still expect something more. He gritted his teeth through the conferences with the first and second tier aristocracy, most of whom had only arrived back from their summer homes at daybreak, and discussed the necessary concessions to be made to their international guests, the nation-wide belt-tightening that would soon be further tightened, and the agenda for the coming days.

They struggled and whined with measured words like a mob of over-dressed children.

When it was finally over, Zuko stalked from the meeting room and down the corridor, his elbows bent and hands fisted in a purpose-driven posture his body would never forget. At first, his goal was just to escape the room and the nobles therein, but he soon found his feet leading him in a distinctly familiar direction.

He didn't even bother knocking on the door when he reached it. Rather, he burst in, immediately setting his sights on the old man sitting at the low table. Iroh peered up at him with wide eyes. The upraised teacup obscuring his lips seemed frozen in place. The annoying little tea server's head poked through the doorway from one of the adjoined bedrooms for an instant before his eyes bulged and he withdrew into the safety of the other room.

Ignoring him, Zuko jerked the door shut behind him. The words were out of his mouth before he even really thought about them. "Uncle, you must find me a wife."

* * *

AN: Coming Soon! Iroh's Most Excellent Plan, Phase II!


	28. Chapter 28

AN: Moar! For you! Reviewers, I never get tired of thanking you! So thank you!

* * *

Iroh blinked up at him for a second before smiling pleasantly and lowering his cup to the table. "Good morning, my nephew. Would you care for an invigorating cup of ginseng tea?"

"I don't need _tea_," Zuko spat. His head was lowered and his hands were fisted at his sides. "I need a wife!"

The old man peered skeptically at his aggressive posture and raised an eyebrow. "While I am pleased that you are embracing your duty with such enthusiasm, I cannot help but be a little… concerned. What has brought this on?"

"Never mind that! I need to marry _now_ so that I can put an end to this infuriating waste of my time and energy. I have much more important things to be angr- …to think about!"

The old man laid both his palms flat on the table, expression grave. "Perhaps, if you calm down and explain the problem in more detail, I could offer you some-"

"Girls are crazy! _She's_ crazy!" Zuko began pacing around the sitting room. He waved an arm impatiently through the air and it trailed a bright streak of flame. "One minute she likes me and the next she says marrying me is doing me a favor. A _favor_, Uncle! Well, she can just go back to her Water Tribe hovel and preen in the snow for all I care!"

"Zuko!" Iroh's tone was genuinely shocked. "Is that any way to speak of a friend?"

The younger firebender stopped pacing and met his uncle's frown with one of his own. He crossed his arms, shoulders hunching with tension. His head throbbed. "Do you know what she called me? An 'arrogant hothead!' _I'm_ the arrogant one when _she _obviously thinks she's so much better – when it's so _beneath_ her to consider doing me the _favor_ of marrying me!"

Iroh blinked and his frown softened slightly. "Surely that is not what she meant."

"Isn't it?" Zuko's anger wavered as he peered at his uncle's thoughtful face. His eyebrow tilted upward slightly, hopefully, and his shoulders relaxed a measure. His head still throbbed, but it was suddenly in synch with some place in his chest. "Then what did she mean, Uncle?"

The old man's eyes widened and, with a shrug, he held both hands out before him. "I don't know. I am not Master Katara."

Zuko scowled and turned his head so that he could glare at a certain spot on the floor.

"We _are_ talking about Master Katara, aren't we?"

He heaved a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. It seemed to relieve some of the pressure in his head. "Yes, Uncle. Katara."

After a bout of tired silence, Iroh spoke in a low, soothing voice. "Sit down, Zuko. You need to take a quiet moment."

The Fire Lord removed his hand from his face and cast the old man a scathing look.

Then, he sat down. Iroh poured a cup of tea for him and the soft sounds of the liquid splashing into the cup made Zuko draw and release a deep breath. As he exhaled, he bowed his aching head forward.

"Why does everything have to be so hard, Uncle?"

"Nothing worth achieving is easily accomplished, my nephew." Iroh's thick-fingered hand reached into his frame of vision, placing the cup before him and withdrawing. In its absence, the steam swirled, seeming almost frantic for an instant before it settled into steadily-unfurling tendrils. "This is a lesson you know well."

Zuko curved his fingers around the cup, but the hot porcelain stung. He withdrew his hand to the table's edge and watched the leaves settle in the depths of the tea. "Yes. It is." He flicked his gaze up to take in his uncle, who was sipping peacefully from his own cup. The furrow in his brow deepened as the motion of his eyeballs resonated painfully through his skull. "Is it so much to ask for just _one_ thing to go right, though?"

Iroh smiled slightly. "Who is to say that this is not the right way? Sometimes, we take a winding road to reach our destinies. Sometimes, we only arrive because we try very hard to run away."

Zuko stared at the old man, a frown pulling the corners of his mouth down. "Just tell me your stupid plan, Uncle."

"I do not have a stupid plan." With his brows rising over hooded eyes, Iroh held up a finger. "I have only a single, most-excellent idea. As you know, I cannot tell you what it is."

The younger man only frowned harder.

Iroh laced his fingers together inside of his sleeves. "Fire and water are both temperamental elements, Nephew. Fire burns indiscriminately but depends on a fragile root. Water changes form; it douses or trickles away. Just when you think you have it contained, it evaporates or freezes and bursts the vessel."

"I see." Zuko sighed and glared down at the tea steaming before him. He cupped his forehead with one palm, rubbing his temples. "You're saying Katara won't be contained. It's hopeless and I should give up."

"No!" The younger firebender's eyes shot up. Iroh shrugged and lowered his voice. "But also yes. Master Katara is a woman of water; politics and guilt will not keep her long in a place she does not wish to be. _You_ cannot contain her, Zuko, especially because you are a man of fire. You will make mistakes, burn too hot, cast sparks. It is your nature – just as it is hers to push and pull."

Zuko crossed his arms over his chest, scowl returning.

"Two such people cannot be tied together by a bond as weak as a simple marriage. They must both want, very much, to be together. Without that desire to coexist, each will try to destroy the other."

The younger man silently massaged his forehead for a long while, his severe expression fading as the minutes passed. Iroh went on sipping his tea, eyes lowered in a picture of tranquility. Finally, Zuko spoke. "So what do I do?"

"Drink your tea, my nephew."

The porcelain, when he touched it, was soothingly warm against his fingers. The brew was aromatic without being bitter and Zuko quickly found that there was tension draining from his neck and shoulders. His headache faded away, though the ache in his chest did not. It throbbed on even when the dregs twirled in the shallow pool of tea left behind.

He sighed and settled the cup on the table with a quiet tap.

"Now," Iroh grinned, pulling a roll of parchment from some concealed pocket of his robes. "We will begin the second phase of my most-excellent plan!"

Zuko blinked. His eyebrow tilted in a sort of resigned dissent.

Iroh's enthusiasm was undiminished. "I will tell Yoshu to go cut the flowers."

* * *

"Okay, Katara. You've avoided it all morning, but you can't escape me, now." Sokka stood by the closed door of the lounge. He had just placed the order for lunch and was smiling smugly; her brother _would_ think a promised meal was as good as a sturdy rope… "So what happened to your face?"

"Yeah." Aang, sitting on the other side of the low table, had a deep furrow in his brow. "I think I need to hear this story, too."

Suki and Toph sat at the table as well, waiting quietly. The Kyoshi warrior's expression was one of deep concern. Toph leaned back on braced arms, frowning without direction.

With a sigh, Katara settled with her legs folded to one side and her weight supported by the opposite arm. "We ran into some trouble last night and an enemy hit me. There was so much going on that I forgot to heal it until this morning and, by then, the bruise was too deeply set." She shrugged. "And that's that."

"You at least hit him back, right?" Suki leaned forward, her hands clamped on the table's edge.

The waterbender hitched a shoulder upward. "Sort of. I…" She didn't want to discuss what she had done in any detail, but she couldn't stop the guilty frown or the lowering of her chin. "I fought back and I won."

Sokka lowered himself into the empty space between her and Suki and leveled a skeptical gaze at her. "If that's it, then why were you crying this morning?"

Katara hesitated. She didn't want to talk about the things that had happened, the things she had done, but if she lied, Toph would know. Toph would-

"Sweetness was all torn up about the fight she picked with Sparky." The earthbender blew a strand of hair out of her face. "He made some disparaging remark about growing up in a tent."

Sokka began to puff up, eyes wide in indignation. "Some of my fondest childhood memories took place in tents! Why, that-"

"Katara," Aang peered at her, wide-eyed. "That doesn't sound like Zuko. I mean, not the Zuko we know." His face screwed up in thought. "Well, not the Zuko who eventually joined us and helped defeat Fire Lord Ozai…" He raised a single eyebrow. "It _does_ kind of sound like the Zuko who chased us half-way around the world…"

"Oh, you mean Ponytail Zuko?" Sokka cupped his chin thoughtfully. "Yeah, I could see that…"

Katara huffed and rolled her eyes. "They're the same person – there's only one of him." In an undertone, she grumbled, "Thank Yue for small favors…"

"Hey!" Sokka jabbed her shoulder with one finger. "Don't take my ex-girlfriend's name in vain!" On his other side, Suki crossed her arms and frowned.

Oblivious, Aang scratched his head. "I don't get it… why would Ponytail Zuko just suddenly reemerge like that?"

Equally oblivious, Sokka held his hands out in a story-telling gesture. "Maybe, somewhere deep inside of Topknot Zuko, Ponytail Zuko sensed that the world needed his relentless snarling once more and so, with the power he stored up while lying dormant, Ponytail Zuko-"

"Would you stop talking about him as if he's more than one person?" Katara seethed, hands held in a claw-like gesture that effectively combined plea and threat.

Toph cleared her throat loudly. "Maybe Zuko got really mad and voiced a belief that's been ingrained into him since childhood."

Aang frowned thoughtfully. "But what could make Zuko that mad?"

In the silent moment that followed, three dry expressions turned toward the scowling waterbender. Toph just blew the hair out of her face.

"How about it, Sweetness? What does it take to get Zuko that mad?"

Katara crossed her arms and resettled her legs beneath her. "First off, _he_ was pressuring me to marry him. Got it? That's important to remember, here…"

* * *

"Uncle, I know that you're a brilliant strategist and I'm sure that you take every element into account before initiating a course of action…" Zuko scowled down at the tiny orange flowers bunched into a bouquet in his hand. "…but does this have to be so humiliating?"

Iroh, walking beside him down the corridor, folded his hands into his sleeves. "Humiliation is a close cousin of humility, my nephew. The only difference between the two is how embarrassed you allow yourself to feel." He smiled up at the younger man. "You should be proud that you are taking such a bold second step; many young men make the mistake of seeming too aloof, which makes young ladies feel uninteresting. Just wait and see! This will awaken the romance within even the most grounded of hearts!"

Zuko heaved a sigh and carried the flowers low at his side, hoping none of the passing dignitaries would notice them. It would be difficult for them to miss Yoshu, though, who followed along behind the two firebenders, pushing a cart loaded with near-identical bouquets of tiny orange flowers. Each was tied with a length of red ribbon. The bows were a bit… awkwardly formed – uneven or wrinkled as if they had been tied and retied.

"Here is the next door!" Iroh stopped walking and peered down at his scroll to check some details. "Lady Chi La enjoys painting and listening to the sweet tones of the Sungi horn. Do not forget to mention that you can play, Nephew!" The old man rapped on a door, then hurriedly shooed Yoshu back around a corner, out of sight. His bearded face shot Zuko a wink before he slipped around the corner himself.

"But I'm terrible at Sungi horn… Uncle?"

The door cracked open and a woman peered out at him. Zuko didn't remember her from the tea party, but he supposed that was not such a shock; he had blocked much of it from his memory. She looked a bit… older than him… but the firebender figured it was just the low light of the corridor. Besides, her hair was sleek and black and her green eyes were bright.

"Fire Lord Zuko! What a pleasant surprise… to what do we owe the honor of your visit?"

He cleared his throat and offered the flowers at the end of a rigidly straight arm before initiating the speech. "Lady Chi La, these are Spark Daisies, the flower traditionally given by suitors in the Fire Nation at the start of fall. I wish to convey my desire to find you in attendance at my uncle's ball tomorrow evening and hope that you will enjoy the following poem, a favorite work of Fire Nation literature."

The Lady accepted the flowers, looking a little perplexed, and opened her mouth to say something.

"Please reserve comments for the end of the poem." Zuko had already forgotten the last line of the stupid poem five times since beginning this task. He would not be deterred again.

She blinked, raising one artfully arched eyebrow. The firebender peered off over her shoulder, narrowing his eyes as he scoured his memory for the words.

"Leaves falling dazzle,  
none so brightly as eyes lit  
by orange-flame petals."

He looked back hopefully to find a tiny smile tugging at the noblewoman's lips. Zuko offered his own hesitant smile.

"I, uh… also play Sungi horn."

"I am not Lady Chi La," she said, smile spreading further. She held the flowers delicately before her chest. "But I am flattered that you think I look so young. My daughter is lunching with Lady Bo Shi… Shall I give her your message?"

The smile melted off of Zuko's face and he stared, wide-eyed and frowning, at the older woman. She did _not_ look old enough to be the mother of someone his age. He felt his face heating. "That would be most helpful."

Lady Chi La's mother tilted her chin forward and shot the young firebender a mischievous smirk. "Then it would be my pleasure, Fire Lord."

Zuko's face felt as if it might be glowing. He swallowed and took a step back. "I… Thank you… must go…"

He could swear he felt her eyes on him as he stalked down the corridor and around the corner. There, he found his uncle and that wretched tea-server grinning together. Yoshu's expression immediately went blank and wide-eyed upon the seething firebender's arrival. Iroh only grinned wider.

"I think she liked you, Nephew! What excellent luck!"

Zuko's hands fisted at his sides and he spoke through gritted teeth. "How can you call that luck?"

Iroh raised that wise finger. "She is sure to tell her daughter about how the Fire Lord appeared on her doorstep like a lost puppy – and ladies love puppies!"

Somewhat mollified, but still not entirely convinced, the younger man crossed his arms and scowled off to one side. Iroh threw an arm around his back and began leading him off to the next destination.

"Just wait, my nephew! This phase of my plan may seem slow to take effect, but it will do wonders in time."

"I'll be a laughingstock by dinner."

"Yes, but not an _aloof_ laughingstock. You will be a likeable laughingstock who makes young ladies feel comfortable in their own worth." Iroh dug the scroll from his inner pocket and began looking ahead to the next subject. Zuko leaned closer to scan down the carefully listed names and notes.

"Katara isn't on that list."

"No, Nephew. She is not." He found what he was looking for and tucked the scroll away again. "Lady Chan Lu enjoys stargazing and dancing. Tell her about your-"

Zuko stopped walking and faced the old man. "Uncle, I thought you said I shouldn't give up on Katara."

Iroh stopped as well and blinked at him. "You have fought with her recently and it is clear that she said something that hurt you deeply. It would not be appropriate for _you_ to appear on her doorstep with flowers… unless you said something for which you wish to apologize…"

The younger man scowled down at the floor for a long moment. "No," he said, at last. "I didn't."

"Good! Then you must tell Lady Chan Lu all about the constellations in the far-off places you have traveled." Iroh again began guiding him down the corridor. Zuko didn't miss the old man's speculative sideways glances.

* * *

"…so I got mad and tried to explain that it wasn't an easy decision for me to make." She shrugged. "I called it doing him a favor. He got all… shocked and indignant and started spouting a bunch of political crap… which just made me angrier…" Her eyes turned up to take in her friends' reactions. "And then I called him a name and he said that thing about tents."

Suki looked away with a low whistle. Toph frowned. "That's… pretty harsh, Sugar Queen."

"Yeah, Katara…" Sokka raised an eyebrow at her. "Harsh."

She lifted two empty hands, frustrated. "Okay, so the 'favor' thing was pretty mean. I can admit to that. And the name-calling really wasn't a proud moment, either… but he's asking me to reorder my entire life for him and he only proposed this plan _yesterday_. He started pushing and I'd already had a hard night and I just- I lost it." The waterbender shrugged helplessly.

Suki laid one hand on the table. "Sometimes fights just happen – especially with people you care about. It'd be best if you both apologized and let the anger go."

"Actually…" Aang, eyes a bit reproachful, peered at Katara. "It sounds like you really hurt his feelings."

She blinked. "What?"

"Think about it." The thin young man shrugged, waving a hand in the air as if to illustrate. "This is _Zuko_. He's proud and determined and he's always worked really hard to prove himself to one person or another. Now, that person is you… and you told him you were doing him a favor just by considering him. Basically, you told him he wasn't good enough."

Katara's eyes bulged. "I didn't mean…" She blinked and stared down into her lap. "Do you really think he…?"

Aang only shrugged, but Sokka cupped his chin. "All I know is, Zuko's moved past most of his prejudices against the other nations. If he tried to put you down about some petty thing like living in a tent, he was probably pretty desperate for something mean to say." His expression darkened and his arms crossed with no small amount of force. "That doesn't mean it's okay for him to bad-mouth our culture… but it does tell us that he's probably off crying somewhere, as we speak…"

"That's ridiculous, Sokka." Katara scoffed and shook her head, trying to dissipate the guilt that was clouding up in her stomach.

"Is it? You might be right, Katara… I don't think I've ever seen a firebender cry…" Her brother frowned thoughtfully, one eyebrow upraised. "Maybe they just… ooze smoke from their eyeballs?"

Toph chimed in. "I don't know about crying, but I'll bet Sparky's sitting in his room, right now, all alone… probably in the dark…"

"_Alright_! I'm _going_!" Katara climbed to her feet and stalked to the door.

"Katara?" At her brother's voice, she peered back over her shoulder. The young man was gazing after her hopefully. "Can I have your noodles?"

She shook her head, rolled her eyes, and jerked the door open. "Knock yourself out, Sokka."

* * *

It turned out that finding the Fire Lord at lunch time was not a simple task. She asked a number of servants, many of whom directed her to his office, the dining hall, his personal lounge, and his uncle's quarters, but Zuko was not in any of these places. As she wandered the corridors, Katara picked up odd snippets of conversations from some of the noblewomen she passed.

"…just so awkward. If he wasn't so powerful, I might..."

"When I opened the door, he was waiting out in the hall like a lost moose-lion cub."

"…no idea how to talk to blooded women…"

"I mean… _half_ of his face is… _really_ attractive…"

"…said he plays the Sungi horn. I don't even know what that _is_…"

The last comment didn't seem to have anything to do with Zuko, but the speaker was carrying one of the small bouquets of orange flowers that seemed to be so popular all of a sudden. The poorly-tied red ribbons reminded the waterbender strongly of the tea party invitation she had received. Katara stalked through the corridors, frown spreading as she went.

Then, she found him.

She rounded a corner and skidded to a halt at the sight before her. Zuko stood before a beautiful young woman, reciting a poem that he seemed to know very well. Neither seemed to see her, so Katara stepped back the way she had come and poked her head around the corner, watching.

"…none so brightly as eyes lit  
by orange-flame petals."

The noblewoman had a fresh blush across her cheeks and clutched the familiar bouquet just below her nose. She was peering up at Zuko through her lashes, a smile tugging at her lips. "That's so beautiful, Fire Lord Zuko. I didn't even know that the Fire Nation _wrote_ poetry. Have you read Bo Shi Toh?"

"No… though I have heard that his ghazals are quite well-respected in Ba Sing Se."

"They're magnificent, each a gem set in the glorious tradition of Earth Kingdom literature…"

Katara pulled her head back around the corner and set her shoulders against the wall. She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach and her heart was starting to race. She didn't know Zuko knew anything about _poetry_… Was that his favorite poem – the one he had recited for that noblewoman? The waterbender didn't know the first thing about literature and, for the first time in her life, she wondered if she should learn.

Heaving a deep breath, she peered back around the corner in time to see Zuko depart, striding away down the corridor. The noblewoman looked out her door after him until he rounded a corner before retreating inside.

As soon as the coast was clear, Katara hurried to catch up to the firebender. She dashed down the corridor, single-minded. It was very important that she catch him, that she explain that he wasn't not good enough, that she was just… she was…

She was running too fast when she rounded the corner and overturned the empty cart around which three people were gathered. Katara didn't really get a chance to identify those people before she and the wheeled contraption crashed to the floor.

* * *

AN: Muah hah hah... I think. Thoughts? Feelings? Tangential psychological side-effects?


	29. Chapter 29

AN: Reviewers, thank you all!...and yes, I pay a lot of attention to what you folks are saying. I've never worked on a project of this magnitude before and I've found your feedback to be incredibly strong incentive to keep going and to go boldly. It would be very hard for me to separate the instances in which I followed a suggestion from those in which suggestions reflected my own ideas for the story... and I'm lazy, so I'll just go ahead and give up, now. :D Regardless, thanks to everyone!

CalliopeMused - Thanks for that long, long comment on sexual assault! It's so great to hear that I'm doing well from someone who knows the subject matter. (I'm a volunteer with my local DV shelter, but I'm certainly no expert, either...)

* * *

"Uncle, what _is_ a ghazal?" Zuko rubbed the back of his neck and cast a glance back towards the main corridor before turning to eye the old general. "…and how did you know she would ask about… that poet?"

Iroh was scanning his list, a smile spreading slowly across his face. "A ghazal is a poem comprised of a series of couplets – an ancient Air Nomad form that seeks to lead the reader to an epiphany by a circuitous path of images and metaphors. It never gained popularity in the Fire Nation because the pattern of thought favored by our people is much more linear. As for your other question…" He cast a brilliant grin at the younger man. "…Bo Shi Toh's works have experienced a huge resurgence of popularity since the return of the Avatar and Lady Ya Wei has excellent taste!"

Zuko frowned and crossed his arms. He still wasn't sure whether the old man had somehow managed to pick up all of these personal details from the tea party or if he had been engaged in espionage for the past year back in Ba Sing Se, secretly taking notes on young noblewomen in his spare time. "Whatever you say, Uncle. Are we finished, yet? I have a meeting to-"

He was cut off by a blue blur that raced past him and smashed into the empty flower cart. It was really a very spectacular fall; the waterbender hit the lacquered-wood obstacle and her inertia carried her in a flip over it. Had she released her instinctive grip at the proper moment and landed on her feet, it would have been a gymnastic feat worthy of Ty Lee…

…but she ended up on her back on the floor, the top half of her body obscured by the broken remnants of the cart.

All three men stared down at her for a shocked second as she groaned and shoved away debris. The tea server broke the silence. "That… was… _amazing_! Master Katara, I've never seen _anyone_ destroy a tea cart that completely with just the weight of their own body! You must weigh-!"

"Are you alright, Master Katara?" Iroh, a little quicker to recover than Zuko, bent down to lift away the split panel that had so recently held a heap of flowers. Yoshu immediately followed suit and began pulling away pieces of smashed wood.

"Yeah. Great. Fine. Just, you know…" The waterbender's sour expression and red cheeks came into view, as did the enormous bruise spreading from the corner of her mouth. "…a little winded."

Staring at her upside-down face, the Fire Lord found his voice – but not before Iroh's wide eyes shot up to him, remembering… assessing. Zuko, shocked and sputtering, didn't really notice. "Katara! Your face!"

"Oh! Um…" The waterbender scrambled to her feet and frowned at the floor near his shoes. One of her delicate brown hands came up to touch the dark blotch before she yanked it down to her side. Determination was evident in the rigid set of her shoulders and her brow was furrowed in something like regret when she met his gaze. "That's not important right now. I really need to tell you how _sorry_ I am for-"

"Master Katara," Iroh cut in. His tone was stern, though his tipped-forward face conveyed sympathy and a little worry. "There are circumstances in which it is deeply inappropriate for young women to apologize. I hope you will agree to talk with me privately." Katara blinked, looking derailed. The old man's keen yellow eyes shot to Zuko, whose eyebrow rose under the intensity of his stare. There was suspicion there. The beginnings of disappointment. "Fire Lord Zuko has a meeting to attend."

Zuko blinked. He wanted to look back at Katara, to demand what had happened to her face, what she was sorry about, but he couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from the other firebender's gaze. That throbbing spot in his chest flared. "Uncle… it's only a report from my financiers. It can wait."

Iroh's bearded face shook slowly side-to-side, but the suspicion eased and he placed a broad hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Trust me, my nephew. Go to your meeting. There will be time to talk after."

Zuko lifted a hand, gesturing towards the waterbender. "But Katara wants to-"

"Zuko!" The old man peered at him earnestly, fingers clenching slightly on his shoulder. "Not an hour ago, you asked me what you should do. I am telling you now; go to your meeting."

He stood still, uncertain… but it did occur to him that this second phase of his uncle's plan had worked spectacularly well… somehow. No sooner had they finished with the list than the waterbender had come flying out of nowhere – and she even seemed sane again. Apart from destroying the tea cart, she seemed ready to act reasonably.

But, as had happened many times before, Uncle Iroh saw something that Zuko could not. And in spite of the many times he had suffered after ignoring the old man's wisdom, it was still a strain for him to nod slowly, acceptingly.

Katara piped up, her voice low and hesitant. "I have some… ambassador things… this afternoon. Do you have plans for dinner, Zuko?"

The firebender met her hopeful gaze with one of his own. "No. Would my personal lounge be alright?"

She nodded and Zuko parroted the motion. Then, with a final glance at his uncle's calm expression, the Fire Lord turned on his heel and strode away.

* * *

Katara cast Iroh a shame-faced glance, but he did not seem to notice. He was instructing Yoshu to find someone to clean up the mess in the floor and to see about lunch. There was also something about apologizing to some groundskeeper, but Katara wasn't really paying attention to that. She peered down at the smashed remnants of the cart. It must have been pretty; there were elegant stretches of scrollwork along the splintered legs and the color of the glossy wood was a deep, reddish-gold.

Katara heaved a sigh and added 'destroyed furniture' to her list of things to feel bad about.

Finally, Yoshu scampered off down the corridor and Iroh gestured in the opposite direction. "Master Katara, you look as if you could use a hot cup of tea…" She fell into step beside him and he set a fairly urgent pace, casting her a sideways glance. "…and perhaps a full night's sleep would not be remiss."

The waterbender shot the old man a woeful frown. "This isn't going to turn into one of those lectures like my Gran-gran gives about diet and proper exercise, is it?"

Iroh smiled, but something in his eyes kept it from being a happy expression. "No. I do not think it will. Besides!" He led her down some stairs and through the final corridor to his suite. "You are a healer and are likely to know far more about such things than I."

He opened the door for her and Katara stepped through, grumbling. "Since training at the North Pole, I know a bit more than my Gran-gran, too. That doesn't actually seem to dampen her enthusiasm…"

Iroh closed the door and set about making tea. Katara settled on a mat by the table. For a long while, there was quiet. The waterbender felt hemmed in by the silence, by her guilt. She fidgeted, toying with her necklace and tugging her beaded locks until she just couldn't take it anymore.

"Why wouldn't you let me apologize to Zuko?" she asked, her chin dropped low and her eyes set on a napkin that lay bunched on the floor by the table leg, seemingly forgotten.

The old man set the tray bearing a teapot and cups down on the table before lowering himself to the floor. He met her eyes with a gentle gaze of his own. "Young ladies who look as if they have been slapped should never apologize first, Master Katara – if they need to apologize at all."

Her eyes bulged and she looked at the waiting teacups, the steam coiling from the pot's spout, the grain of the wood of the tabletop – anywhere but at the firebender. Was the origin of her bruise _that_ obvious? In the meeting of the tribes that morning, had everyone _known_ she had been hit? Had her _father_ known? She should say something, feed Iroh her excuse, deny everything… but, really, it was already too late for that; she had hesitated too long… and now he _knew_. He knew and he cared and he would want her to talk about Cho and Yan and what she had done… and talking about it would make it that much more real.

Iroh went on, his voice low and unthreatening and his hands folded into his sleeves. Katara's heart was hammering painfully against her sternum. "I hope that you will speak honestly with me about this, because it is very important for an interfering old man to not approach a delicate situation without understanding both sides of the story." His raspy voice paused, but his eyes, still on her, were making her face heat. She stared harder at the folds of the lost napkin. "Did my nephew do this to you?"

"Oh! No!" The waterbender shook her head quickly, eyes snapping back onto Iroh's concerned face. "Zuko wouldn't! How-? How could _you_, of all people, think that?" Katara's jaw hung loose and she stared at the old man, eyes widened in shock.

Iroh did not break eye-contact, but bowed his head slightly as he explained. "My nephew came to me today in a state of rage that I had not seen for a very long time and expressed some… less-than-enlightened views that I had thought he had left behind…" At last, he looked away with a faint frown and, holding back his sleeve with one hand, began pouring the tea. "When I saw your cheek, I admit that I was… unnerved. I jumped to a conclusion." His eyes rose back to hers as he placed the cup of tea before her. "I cannot tell you how relieved I am that it was the wrong one."

Katara blinked, not sparing a glance for the tea. "So… you stopped me from apologizing because you thought… you…"

"I wanted to be certain that you were not about to apologize when you were the one more severely wronged. Sometimes…" Iroh's large hands curled around his steaming cup. "…when we care a great deal about someone, we trick ourselves into thinking that the ways in which that person expresses anger are our own fault. In truth, we are each responsible for our own words and actions, whatever the provocation may be."

The waterbender's eyes dropped down to her own tea, which sat so very still inside its cup. When she swallowed, the golden liquid rippled against the white porcelain. Iroh wasn't trying to chastise her, but she still felt the emotional weight bearing down. She was responsible for her own actions. She had hurt Zuko's feelings. She had done the wrong thing with Cho and Yan. She had smashed that beautiful cart into no more than over-polished kindling.

When she blinked, hot tears dripped from her lashes, leaving darker blots on the fabric over her lap.

"Katara…" Iroh's tone bespoke upraised eyebrows and deep concern, but the waterbender didn't look up. She scrubbed her eyes on her sleeve. There was the soft sound of cloth sliding over wood and, when she looked again at her teacup, there was a tidily-folded napkin sitting beside it.

Katara flicked her eyes up at the old firebender, offering a watery smile. He returned it with a gentle smile of his own before she buried her face in the fabric. She shut her eyes and took deep shuddering breaths.

"If you wish to talk about whatever has made you so upset, I would gladly listen, Katara."

Her brow furrowed and her eyes screwed shut against the napkin. The room was so quiet – how could she not have noticed how oppressive this quiet was? It begged to be dispersed, driven back with sound… yet it was so hard to break the surface. She took a deep breath, preparing to speak, but words didn't come out when she exhaled. She breathed again.

"We got… caught, last night. Some bad things happened…"

* * *

Zuko was not quite as furious as he had been just hours before, but he was still far from happy. In fact, he was far from that neutral emotional state between happy and mad, too. He sat in the new chair at his desk, frowning as he tried to pay attention to the financier chattering before him.

His thoughts kept skipping back to Katara. He wondered what she would say at dinner, what she might like to eat. More than anything else, though, he wondered about that bruise on her face. Zuko didn't remember her having a bruise last night… but he hadn't seen her in good light once after they had been captured. Perhaps it had happened before she managed to escape…

…and perhaps it had happened sometime this morning.

The financiers kept glancing at each other, yellow eyes twitchy and postures set rigidly upright, as if they were afraid to breathe too deeply. Zuko cleared his throat and attempted to smooth the scowl from his face. "Just tell me the bottom line, Financier Woo Ten."

"It, um… It isn't good, Fire Lord Zuko. Even if Governor Tseng continues to pour resources into the Spark Islands as he has over the past couple of days, the remaining national budget still won't cover half of the costs of care for the disabled veterans in the coming year…"

Of course it wouldn't. Lord Bau Li was still sucking up almost eighty percent of the funds meant to go into the Ember Island Veteran's Home. The man was as cunning as he was shameless; as soon as Mai had left Zuko and the nobleman believed himself safe from retribution, he had doubled the sum that disappeared into his own coffers every month.

Before the revelation of Bau Li's involvement in the previous night's trap, the Fire Lord had simply thought the 'cough' the family had developed was a result of conscience. He had thought they were avoiding awkward conversations at court and the strain of holding their heads high while leaching money out of the Fire Nation. Now, though, it was becoming clear that Bau Li was only being cautious. He had heard that the Blue Spirit was hunting corrupt politicians in the capital and he knew that Zuko knew what he was up to; that was why he had backed Lo Wei.

Bau Li knew the Blue Spirit's affiliations, if not his identity.

Zuko's game had suddenly become a great deal more dangerous.

At last, the briefing came to an end and the financiers seemed to race to be the first out the door. Alone, the firebender sank his head into his hands and drew a few deep breaths. His body was aching, his muscles alight with pain even as they drooped in exhaustion. Katara had looked about as tired as he felt… He wondered if she had spent as much time rolling in her bed as he had in his. He wondered if she had had an early morning, too.

Zuko rubbed his hands over his face. One cheek felt as rough and numb as ever. The other stung slightly where it was still bruised. His eyes snapped open.

He wondered if she had had another conversation with her father.

* * *

Katara was still hiding behind the napkin, hands fisted in the cloth over her eyes. She had told Iroh everything – the trap, the eclipse, Cho and Yan, finding Zuko, their fight… everything. The firebender had not spoken through her telling of the story and sat silent, still, as her words dried up.

As she spoke, Katara had imagined his expression as horrified and shocked at all the right parts, but she hadn't looked. With her face buried in the napkin, she could pretend that she was just talking to herself about a dream she had had – or that the girl in the story wasn't really her, at all, but some other poor sap who had a bad day.

Now, though, it was time to face reality. With a deep breath, Katara dropped her hands to her lap and let them twist the napkin as she straightened her back and looked up at Iroh.

There was a tiny, proud smile on his face. "You are truly an amazing young woman, Master Katara."

She blinked. "How can you say that?" Her head shook slowly, eyes wide and suddenly dripping again. "How can you say that after what I've _done_?"

The smile faded, but the pride did not. "You defended yourself. There is no shame in that. You also recognized that, as a leader and a powerful bender, you had a responsibility to prevent those men from doing further harm and you administered a punishment that you then believed fitting for the crime. Do not let your guilt and your new understanding of what you _should_ have done detract from the honor of that."

She dabbed her eyes and stared at him, less aghast than before but still not quite buying this. "What about Zuko?"

Iroh raised an eyebrow and frowned down at his tea. He seemed to be heating the cup between his palms. "I think that you both made mountains of molehills – and I do not mean badger-moles. It was not fair for Zuko to pressure you in your decision and it was not kind for you to point out the obvious. However…" He raised the now-steaming cup to his lips and inhaled with his eyes closed. "…after the trauma you _both_ endured last night, it is understandable that there would be friction between you."

Katara sighed and, after a moment, peered down at her own tea. She raised the cup with numb fingers and sipped the lukewarm brew. Then, with a twitch of her lips, she replaced it where it had been sitting.

Iroh lowered his own cup. "I could heat that for you, if you like."

With a tiny, sheepish smile, the waterbender scooted her teacup across the table to him.

As the old man took the porcelain between his palms, he gazed down at it, musing. "It is odd…" A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "…that you should both be so completely focused on a petty argument after undergoing such a terrible ordeal…"

Katara shrugged, watching his hands. A tendril of steam rose up before vanishing. "I… guess it's just easier to be mad at Zuko than to think about… the rest of it." She raised her eyes to Iroh's expression of calm concentration. "Do you think he feels that way, too? Like it's easier to be mad at me than to think about what happened?"

"I don't know…" The old man looked up at her and, with a smile, placed the steaming cup back on the table before her. "I am not Zuko."

The waterbender nodded and sipped her tea thoughtfully. After a long moment, she cleared her throat. "Where's Yoshu? It seems like he's been gone for a very long time…"

Iroh turned a little pink in the cheeks and, fighting his smile, peered down at his tea in something resembling a combination of embarrassment and mirth. "Yoshu has gone to convey my regrets to Groundskeeper Tho regarding the dismemberment of an entire bed of his Spark Daisies. I imagine he will escape the lecture sometime soon."

Spark Daisies, bouquets with poorly-tied ribbons… Katara's eyebrows rose as she quickly caught on. "You sent him into a trap to keep him away."

Iroh peered upward toward a corner of the ceiling. "I wouldn't call it a _trap_, exactly… Yoshu is a very sensitive young man and his feelings would have been hurt if I had told him to just go away. This way, he will complain about the groundskeeper and then feel better without asking questions about our conversation." He looked back up at her, obviously changing the subject. "Would you honor us by staying for lunch?"

Katara grinned and shook her head. "I would, but I have a meeting… which I should actually hurry up and prepare for…" She rose, suddenly regretting that easy surrender of her noodles to Sokka…

Iroh rose as well and saw her to the door. Once she had stepped outside, Katara turned back and smiled warmly at the old man for a moment. "Thank you for the tea… and for listening."

The old firebender returned the smile and bowed slightly. "If you ever have need for either, do not hesitate to pay me a visit. And, uh…" He cast a shifty glance down both ends of the corridor before offering her a hopeful grin. "…if you see Yoshu, do not feel obligated to mention that I am familiar with Groundskeeper Tho..."

* * *

Zuko stormed out of his office and made his way toward the conference room a bit earlier than he might usually leave for a meeting. His office was too small; he couldn't pace far enough or fast enough to work off his rage.

He was currently contemplating murdering Hakoda. Would it be such a tragedy? Sokka would become Chief of the Southern Water Tribe and Katara would never have to endure the man's abuse again. It might be difficult to get the job done in such a way that it couldn't be linked to him, but wouldn't the benefits eventually outweigh the drawbacks?

Zuko took a deep breath and slowed himself down. There was no evidence that Hakoda had had anything to do with the bruise on Katara's cheek. Really, it wasn't reasonable to assume that he would strike his daughter just because he didn't have qualms over fighting with another man.

The firebender was gentle with the door when he entered the conference room but, when he stopped in the threshold, gripping the knob in a suddenly very hot hand, Zuko temporarily forgot about reason and restraint. One other man had arrived early for this meeting and he stood across the room with his thick brown arms folded over his blue-clad chest.

Hakoda's expression was one of barely-contained fury. He slowly unfolded his arms, hands fisting at his sides, and his lip curled back to reveal white teeth as he snarled. "_You_…"

It was obvious what had happened. Hakoda had somehow found out about Katara coming home with no shirt and had assumed the worst and, instead of coming after Zuko as any decent man would, he had slapped her, his daughter.

How could he do that to his own child?

The door slammed behind the Fire Lord as he stalked into the room. "Yeah," he growled, his voice rising to a bellow as he took the first steps around the table toward Hakoda. "Me!"

* * *

AN: *shameface* So, I know there will be some people who were expecting a heart-to-heart climax in this chapter... and who probably nearly blew a gasket when Iroh cut it off... What can I say? I may be the writer, but I still don't have the power to stop Iroh's Plan...


	30. Chapter 30

AN: Thank you, reviewers! You're all wonderful and I appreciate you taking the time to do what you do! Wow... thirty chapters and so very many words... My little ficling has exploded into a mega-fic. Extra-big chapter this time... to celebrate? Thanks for sticking with me!

alagaesha: I love all fanart, of all scenes... but since you asked, I think someone could do a visually super-cool take on the healing scene in the abandoned house...

snarkhunter: Great point about the bruise. I will ponder on this... though I'm not sure that Zuko would be able to tell anyway, since Katara did manage to at least partially heal it. Hmm... ponder ponder...

* * *

"Look, I asked if I could have your noodles and you said, and I quote, 'knock yourself out, Sokka.' I even saved you those dumplings – you should be _grateful_!"

Katara shook her head and picked up the pace; they were about to be late for their second meeting of the day. "Yeah, grateful." She gazed at him with wide eyes, her tone loaded with sarcasm. "Thanks, Sokka, for saving me the dumplings stuffed with hot peppers. I really needed a mouthful of burning agony to make my day complete."

Sokka, striding beside her, held up his hands. "Hey, it's not my fault that you didn't enjoy your Blister Dumplings. I'm a little hurt that you feel that way, but I'm willing to be the bigger person, here."

The waterbender shot her brother a final, fierce scowl as they rounded the last corner.

Katara frowned as she noticed all of the people milling in the corridor around the door to the conference room. There were a handful of Fire Nation nobles present but, for the most part, this was the same crowd that had attended the meeting that morning – representatives of both Water Tribes. Their father, though, seemed to be missing. Arnook and Pakku, standing together with crossed arms and heads bowed in conversation, both looked up and turned to face the siblings as they approached. The chief seemed to be riding the edge of anger. Pakku just raised a disdainful eyebrow.

"Chief Arnook, Master Pakku," Sokka greeted. He glanced past them at the closed door. Katara noticed that there were two Fire Nation guards standing on either side of the threshold. "What's going on?"

After a moment of Arnook just glaring at the two Southerners, the sour-faced old waterbender cleared his throat. "It seems the conference room is in use. The guards tell us that the Fire Lord is currently in a meeting and advised against interrupting."

"A meeting?" Katara's brow furrowed. "I thought our conference with Fire Lord Zuko was scheduled for-"

There was a loud bang against the door. Both guards jumped fractionally, then shared a sideways glance before dutifully smoothing their expressions. Some of the tribesmen gathered in the corridor cast glances toward the meeting room, expressions ranging from wry to scathing. The Fire Nation nobles whispered together, looking scandalized.

"It was." Arnook's lip curled and he didn't look away from Katara. "Apparently, the Fire Lord and _Chief_ Hakoda thought this impromptu _meeting_ was more important."

The waterbender's jaw dropped and she glanced back and forth between the two men. "Did they?" she asked, faintly. Beside her, Sokka covered his mouth with a fist and initiated a poor attempt to conceal his laughter with coughing.

Pakku sniffed. "As a man, I can't say that I blame your father…" His cold eyes dropped pointedly to her bruised cheek before flicking back up to her eyes. "…though his timing is remarkably poor."

Katara's eyes narrowed, but she didn't repeat her excuse – it seemed hollow to her, now. It was pointless to lie when everyone seemed to know what had happened, if not who had done the damage. Instead, she wordlessly marched through the gathered Water Tribesmen, eyes set on the door. Behind her, Sokka was saying something to the two older men, but the young waterbender wasn't paying attention anymore.

As she approached, the guards crossed their spears over the doorway, blocking her path. Katara's eyes snapped onto one of the men.

He stared straight ahead like a good soldier. "His Majesty is currently in a meeting and is not to be disturbed." There were some muffled thuds from the other side of the door. The guard blinked.

Katara's frown deepened. Her voice was a growl. "You can let me in there or I can embarrass you in front of all of these witnesses and go in anyway."

His brow furrowed and his yellow eyes finally flicked down to her. There was a note of pleading in his tone. "With all due respect, Master Katara, maybe you should wait a while, let them work this out between them. I walked in on the last meeting – it wasn't a pretty sight and the Fire Lord _really_ wasn't pleased…"

She glared up at him, frown unyielding. "I'm not here to please the Fire Lord. Now, get out of my way."

"You should really listen to her." Sokka's smug voice came from just behind her. "She gets pretty mean when she's this mad…"

The guard glanced between the two, but still stood his ground. Growing impatient, Katara reached down with a slow hand and uncorked her canteen. She didn't even have to bend the water out before the guards' spears straightened. Without so much as a moment's hesitation, she stormed between them, barely slowing as she shoved the door open before her.

A few sitting mats had strayed from their tidy line along the conference table and some papers were scattered across the floor, but little else in the room was out of order. Thus, the two men kicking and punching each other off to one side were doubly noticeable. Katara wasn't really aware of Sokka squeezing past her into the room before she slammed the door behind her, hard.

"I thought I _said_-" Zuko spoke, but both men turned to glare at the door. The rage drained from their faces almost simultaneously.

The furious waterbender crossed her arms and took a long, hard look at them. They stood within kicking range of one another, both crouched and ready to strike. Hakoda's left eye was darkly ringed and swelling and his shirt had come unwrapped in the front as if it had been grabbed. Zuko's hair had mostly escaped from its topknot, which hung lop-sided, and the black shag over his face was almost enough to cover the lump rising on his forehead. A line of blood journeyed down from his nose, casting drops from his chin – a few of which dotted the front of his robes and mantle.

Katara shook her head slowly, her voice a fierce hiss. "What were you thinking?" She jabbed a thumb back over her shoulder at the door. "Fire nobles and the councils of _both_ Water Tribes are out there, right now, listening to you beat each other stupid and cooking up rumors that will shame _all_ of us! What could possibly be going through your heads to make you, _rulers of nations_, act so recklessly?"

Zuko only blinked, but Hakoda straightened from his fighting stance and cleared his throat, though she noticed that his hands were still fisted at his sides. "I am defending my daughter's honor and safety from a lowly weasel of a man."

Katara released a disgusted huff (hadn't they had this talk already?) and turned her glare to Zuko. "And your excuse?"

The firebender's eyes narrowed and he shot a dark look at the older man, but he straightened as well and, finally, spat out words. "Punishing a bad father."

Hakoda's nostrils flared and his head turned sharply towards Zuko, fists rising.

"Hey!" Sokka took a step toward them, his own hands fisted and elbows bent, but didn't step past his sister. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Katara's eyes narrowed and her chin dipped lower. "Yeah, what _is_ that supposed to mean, Zuko?"

The firebender glanced from her to her brother, then back to Hakoda. He blinked, chest heaving. The waterbender noticed then that he seemed wearier than her father; he had, after all, lost a fair bit of blood and sleep last night. Now, here he was, losing more blood…

Zuko swallowed and his gaze settled on Katara. He seemed uncertain, now. "Did he… Wasn't he the one who… your face?" His hand came up to indicate his own left cheek, but his finger slipped high, brushing the bottom edge of his scar.

Katara's eyes widened as she realized what he meant… and just why he might think that. "Oh, no. No, Zuko. Dad's not like… that. He would never hurt us."

Hakoda's expression of rage faded and his posture relaxed significantly, but Sokka sputtered, voice going high. "You thought _Dad_ hit Katara? What is _wrong_ with you?" He raised a finger to point at the firebender. "And where were you when you should have been protecting my sister?"

Zuko's frown darkened and his mouth opened but, before he could speak, the waterbender whirled on her brother, smacking his arm down. He backed up a bit, staring down at her with wide eyes. Her voice was low and fierce. "He was kind of busy being cut up by a lunatic, alright? It wasn't a good night for anybody. And I don't need someone watching over me, Sokka. You know I'm perfectly capable of defending myself." She poked him in the chest and he held up two defensive palms.

"Oh, I know. I _know_. All I'm saying is, if somebody was watching somebody else's back like he should have been, we could have avoided this entire conversation."

"There was a lunar eclipse. I lost my bending. It was nobody's fault." She waved an arm. "Besides, what's done is done. Right now, we need to focus on not disgracing our respective peoples with this… ridiculous personal scene." Her eyes shot to her father, who was glancing speculatively from one young person to another. His bruised eye was starting to swell. Katara crossed her arms and shook her head. "You heard Chief Arnook this morning, Dad. You know what they think of us."

Hakoda took a deep breath and nodded, his expression grave as he peered down at the floor before him. "You're right, Katara. This is ridiculous. It… wasn't my intent. I came here early for a little quiet because the tribal suite was full of speculation… The Fire Lord just wandered in at the wrong time." He raised a wry eyebrow at the ruffled firebender. "You did _look_ like you'd been in a fight recently, but I should have known better than to think it was with Katara… There's too much of you left."

Zuko crossed his arms, mouth pulling down in a small frown, and peered unhappily at the other man for a moment. "I shouldn't have made assumptions about the kind of father you are," he admitted, finally.

Sokka set his hands on his hips and offered up a sappy grin. "Awe, I love it when we all get along." Zuko narrowed his eyes and Hakoda blinked at his son, unimpressed. The young tribesman sobered and turned to his sister, waving a hand at the two men. "Katara, are you gonna fix their faces or what? We don't really have a whole lot of time for snuggle-sessions, here."

She huffed and shifted her frown to her brother. "Why don't you focus on making _yourself_ useful instead of telling me what to do?" Despite her words, she drew water from her canteen and crossed the distance to their father, who was the closer of the two.

Sokka and Zuko's eyes met. The young tribesman shrugged and started gathering up papers from the floor. The firebender sniffed and dabbed lightly at his nose with two fingers, frowning down at his own blood. He dug a handkerchief from a hidden pocket in his robes and held it to his bloodied face as he began toeing the sitting mats back into line.

Hakoda's eyebrows drew together as he peered down into his daughter's frowning face. Katara lifted the blue-glowing water to his bruised eye and his lids shut firmly. "You're disappointed in me," he murmured.

She didn't speak for a long time as she soothed the swelling away, dispersed the blood that had gathered beneath the skin. "I am." Her palm slid over the rest of his face, wiping away the other tender spots, as she went on even more softly. "You know, if I marry him, you _will not_ hit him anymore." Hakoda's blue eyes opened and she confronted him with a raised brow. "Not only would it be shameful for you to strike your son-in-law, it would be my duty as a wife to protect him."

Her father gazed at her for a moment, a little sadness creeping into his eyes. Then, he turned his head and watched with a furrowed brow as the Fire Lord shuffled around the room, scooting mats back into place with the curled toe of his shoe. "I suppose it would."

"Fix your shirt, Dad." Katara patted his firm shoulder and, with a tiny smile, turned away. "Zuko – your turn."

The firebender approached from around the table, yellow eyes flicking between the waterbender and her father before settling on her as he stopped within arm's reach.

"Hey, Dad? Is this the trade proposal?" Sokka held up a piece of paper and Hakoda moved across the room to join him. They spoke in low tones, sifting through the collected pages.

Katara drew more water from her canteen and raised a blue-glowing hand to Zuko's nose. His eyes shut as she began healing him and she took a moment to examine his weary face. The dark circle under his good eye wasn't Hakoda's handiwork and, even as he began to relax, the furrow between his brows and the down-turning of his mouth remained.

His eyes opened again when Katara tugged the handkerchief from his hand and, wetting it, cleaned the last traces of blood from his upper lip and chin. She focused on what she was doing rather than meeting those yellow eyes, but it was easy to see that he was working up the nerve to say something.

"You don't have to defend me." Her eyebrows shot up and she lowered the cloth from his face. Zuko ducked his chin. "You aren't the only one who can take care of yourself, you know."

Katara blinked, a frown tugging at her lips. "I know. Pull your hair back." After a second's hesitation, the firebender raised his arms and smoothed his palms over the black shag of his hair, drawing it off of his face. Katara began healing the lump on his forehead, conscious of his steady stare, though she did not meet it. The lump receded, faded away. "Is it a problem that I like taking care of you, sometimes?"

She met his eyes then, in time to catch the startled jump of his eyebrow. For a moment, he only stared at her as her fingers trailed down the side of his face, cupping against his good cheek. Then, Zuko swallowed and one corner of his mouth picked up slightly as he lowered his hands to his sides. "No… I just don't want you to feel like you have to do things for me… in the name of duty."

"Eavesdropping, were you?" His hair, falling loose again, brushed Katara's fingers. She smiled up at him.

"I prefer the term 'overhearing…'" Zuko's eyelids lowered and he glanced toward her distracted father and brother before resettling his gaze on her.

Katara watched him for a moment before her smile built into a grin. "Zuko, I'm Southern Water Tribe. I really only do my duty when I want to."

The firebender's lips twitched into a faint answering smile, but he said nothing, opting instead to peer down at her, thoughtfully.

"Now, either fix your hair or kneel so that I can see to do it."

Zuko blinked, eyes widening, and glanced again at the other two men, who seemed completely engaged in their conversation. He looked back at Katara with a furrowed brow. A smirk spread across her face.

"Too proud to kneel in front of my kinsmen, Fire Lord?"

He narrowed his eyes, lifted his chin, and frowned at her imperiously. "Are you trying to embarrass me?"

"No," she said, smirk fading to a self-deprecating smile. "I'm just kind of short."

Zuko blinked. Then, a little stiffly, he bowed his head for her. It was awkward, but she didn't comment on it, figuring his pride had had enough for one day and this kind of concession had to take a toll. With quick fingers, she tugged the band from his loose topknot, gathered his hair, and tied it off. Her digits strayed a bit deeper into his hair than was necessary, scraping lightly against his scalp, but he made no comment on it.

"Okay, straighten up." Zuko did so, holding his head high and turning it this way and that as Katara peered up with a critical eye. She tucked some imaginary stray hairs back with light touches. "That'll do. Where's your crown-thingy?"

"Got it right here, Master Touchy-Feely."

At her brother's smug tone, Katara turned her head toward the other two men. Sokka was dangling the ornament from one hand, his grin wide and sly. Hakoda had his arms crossed and was watching her with narrowed, thoughtful eyes.

Zuko cleared his throat and, blinking, Katara remembered to lower her hands.

* * *

The meeting, once it actually began, went fairly smoothly. Hakoda proposed the Southern Water Tribe's first-ever trade agreement with the Fire Nation and, after some minor haggling over details, the nobles of the Fire Nation accepted. Zuko put his seal on the document and everybody was happy.

Except Chief Arnook, who looked like he had swallowed a bug. The Northern Water Tribe officially reinstated its own trade agreement with the Fire Nation, citing a document that had, somehow, survived for almost one hundred years in some notary's files. The Fire Nation nobles had been more resistant in their negotiations with the Northern Tribe and had agreed to less generous terms, citing the North's success as a nation.

Katara wasn't as ashamed as she should have been for enjoying Arnook's frustrated glower.

Throughout the meeting, she caught each of the Fire Nation nobles stealing glances at her. They peered thoughtfully at Zuko and Hakoda as well, but it was expected that they look at the Fire Lord and the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe. It would not have been so unnerving if they had begun staring when Katara was formally introduced as the new Ambassador of Trade to the Fire Nation, but the looks had started the second the five older men had entered the room.

She had also noticed after a while that Zuko still had a few drops of blood down the front of his robes, but they weren't overly noticeable; the red fabric seemed to swallow the fluid as it dried. Still, knowing that it was there didn't help Katara's nerves.

The waterbender took deep breaths, thought of icebergs, and maintained a smooth, blank expression.

After a few long hours, the meeting came to an end and people began dispersing or splitting off into small groups to discuss the proceedings. Katara rose with her father and brother and was turning to follow them from the room when a voice stopped her.

"Ambassador Katara, might I have a word?"

She turned to find one of the Fire Nation nobles facing her, his hands politely folded into his sleeves and his head bowed at a precise, inquiring angle. His name, she remembered from the meeting, was Lord Laotsu – he had spoken out strongly against a proposed tariff on all Water Tribe imports and he had been the most cautious of her five observers. He also had tidy sideburns that curled outward from the corner of his jaw, as gray-striped as the hair knotted on his head.

With a deep breath and a quick glance to ascertain whether her family was leaving without her – they were – Katara held her head high and turned fully to face him. "Certainly, Lord Laotsu. Regarding what issue?"

"An issue of personal honor, I am afraid…" Laotsu gestured off to one side of the room and the waterbender joined him. When the nobleman went on, he spoke in a low tone, his face cast in a gentle frown. "Since my return from my summer home, I have noticed that many rumors have been flying through the aristocracy regarding you. Not being one to believe gossip, I had hoped that you would consider laying an issue to rest for me, if the question is not too personal…"

Katara's eyes were wide and she offered a grin that attempted to be innocent, but came off more as nervous. This was Zuko's stupid, scandalous plan in action; strangers approaching her to ask awkward questions. "I'll do my best. What's your question?"

Laotsu's brow furrowed and he inclined his head toward her again. "I hope that you will not take offense against me, Ambassador Katara, as I am only curious and wish to inform you of the things being said…" He glanced around to be sure he wouldn't be overheard, then quietly asked, "Is it true that Lady Lo Kang of Ba Sing Se came upon you and the Fire Lord intimately embraced in a corridor?"

"Um…" The waterbender's eyes widened and she felt heat suffusing her face; it was too close to the truth… She wondered whether Lady Lo Kang had been spreading rumors of her own accord, helping unintentionally. "Well, she, um… No…"

Lord Laotsu, admirably, kept a straight face in spite of her suspicious behavior. "I understand, Ambassador. It must be difficult for you to hear such a scandalous tale…" He raised an eyebrow, shooting a sideways glance toward the room at large, then peered back at her. "Might I pose another query?"

"I, uh… sure."

Again, he spoke very quietly. "Is it true that your father, Chief Hakoda, forbade the Fire Lord to ask your hand in marriage, and that His Majesty proposed anyway?"

"Well, erm…" Katara blinked, then offered a sheepish shrug and a tiny, helpless smile as she shook her head. She opened her mouth to deny everything, but the nobleman was too quick.

"He did!" Laotsu's eyes were sparkling beneath his raised eyebrows. He seemed very enthusiastic for a man who didn't care for gossip… "Then, surely, Fire Lord Zuko must be madly in love with you! Such defiance, risking as much as a return to war – how truly romantic! Do you return his feelings? Did you say yes?"

Panic on the rise, Katara stared at the wall over Laotsu's shoulder and began scouring her mind for an excuse to leave. "Um… I have to-"

"Ambassador Katara, Lord Laotsu. I hope that I am not interrupting." Just the sound of his voice was a relief… The waterbender made a quarter-turn to face the firebender, who took in her desperate expression and cast a curious glance between Katara and the nobleman.

Laotsu's smooth voice immediately filled the pause. "Fire Lord Zuko! Of course not. We are pleased that you would choose to honor us with your presence." The nobleman bowed and Katara, reminded of her manners, quickly mimicked him. When he straightened, he opened his mouth to speak again, but the waterbender was quicker this time.

"Ah, Fire Lord! Didn't you want to, uhm… discuss that matter… that we were… discussing?" She gazed at him, eyes wide and pleading.

Zuko's eyebrow crept up his forehead but, after an instant's hesitation, he answered in a stilted tone. "…Yes! That important… thing. Please…" He stuck out an arm toward the door. "Let us adjourn to my office, so that we might… discuss it."

"Yes! Thank you, Zu- Fire Lord Zuko! It was wonderful meeting you, Lord Laotsu – goodbye!" Katara hurriedly disengaged from the nobleman, whose curling sideburns perfectly bracketed his broad smile.

Once they were safely out in the corridor, striding side-by-side, the waterbender hissed through clenched teeth. "That guy was asking a lot of questions about us."

Zuko turned his raised eyebrow on her and, expression a bit overly-casual, ventured, "…such as?"

They strode around a corner into an empty stretch of hallway and Katara, with a quick glance around, leaned closer and whispered. "He knows you proposed against Dad's wishes."

The firebender stopped walking and peered down at her. "How did he find _that_ out?"

"I don't know. He asked and then he just… knew." She shrugged almost to her ears and glanced back down the way they had come as if the noble might pop around the corner at any moment.

Zuko blinked. "You mean you told him."

"No, I didn't _tell_ him! I was about to say it wasn't true, but he cut me off!" Katara paused long enough to take in the firebender's expression. He seemed to be fighting a noble-but-losing battle against a smile. She narrowed her eyes. "You aren't at least concerned about this? He might be spying on you."

He shook his head and began leading her down the corridor again, speaking softly. "Lord Laotsu doesn't need to spy – he's probably the biggest gossip in the Fire Nation."

"But he said he-"

Zuko paused at the bottom of a flight of stairs, casting her a sideways glance. "Not one to believe gossip? Yeah, he lied." When Katara only stared at him, slack-jawed and silently indignant, the firebender slipped his arm through hers and gently tugged her up the stairs. "Don't feel bad… He's very good at reading people. He just… got you this time." He shrugged.

Katara shook her head, staring at the steps before her and trying to remember what she had done, exactly how she had given away the truth. They came to the top of the stairs and turned to the right, but Zuko didn't release her arm. The waterbender didn't pull away, but she did peer up at the unscarred side of his face, her eyes narrowing. "You seem awfully calm about this…"

He glanced down at her with one eye, then looked back at the empty corridor ahead. "Well… We can't exactly have an explosive scandal without Laotsu giving it the first spark… I'm just surprised he picked the story up so quickly – his ship only came into port this morning… There must already be a lot of talk."

"Yeah, he mentioned that there were some rumors," Katara grumped before looking away to frown at nothing in particular. "I'd bet you a winter's stock of sea prunes that Lady Lo Kang has been flapping her pouty mouth every chance she gets…"

"Probably. She doesn't seem to like either one of us very much." Zuko paused, then turned a faint frown her way. He seemed on the brink of saying something, but then stopped and pulled away to open the door to his personal lounge. Katara blinked, glancing around the corridor in the sudden realization that they were nowhere near his office. The firebender gestured toward the empty room and shrugged. "I… missed lunch, today. Would you care for an early dinner?"

"Oh, please. I missed lunch, too. I mean… Sokka saved me some dumplings, but they were way too hot for human consumption…" She took a step into the lounge, then frowned and looked back. "Zuko… it can't be more than four hours past midday – is the kitchen even working, yet?"

He shrugged and offered her a tiny smile as he pulled the door shut behind him. "Probably not… but, being the Fire Lord and all, I think I could probably make it happen, anyway…"

* * *

AN: I'm debating, now, as to whether there should be a more direct scene of Zuko and Hakoda fighting... I might tack a little extra on the end of chapter 29 at some point, if enough people like the idea. (shrugs)


	31. Chapter 31

AN: Woo... New chapter for lovely readers! Must write more! Must... compleeete... I decided a few days ago that I could probably finish this story by the end of October. Immediately thereafter, I hit this and the next pain-in-butt chapters and now I doubt my deadline-meeting capabilities.

Thanks, as always, to my wonderful reviewers! For you, I gives a hint of lemon!

Kimberly T. - Awesome idea. Really. I am very, very likely to incorporate that at some point in the near future. Thanks so much for sharing!

* * *

The room had changed since Katara's last visit; the front area that had been full of sitting mats and impatient young women was now home to a round table, surrounded by a ring of cushions. Where the screen had divided the room before, a small sofa was now positioned, facing the tall windows.

She took a seat at the low table and watched as Zuko pulled a cord that hung from a small box on the wall near the door, crossed his arms, and waited.

"What are you doing?"

He blinked at her. "Calling a servant." His tone implied that this was obvious.

Katara watched him just stand there for a second and frowned. She opened her mouth to say something prickly, but was interrupted by a light rap on the door. Zuko answered and carried on a low discussion with a man in palace livery. The waterbender looked more closely at the cord hanging from the little box.

After a moment, the servant departed and Zuko came to sit on a pad beside her. He followed her gaze to the box, then looked back at her.

"The cord runs inside the wall to a bell in the servants' quarters – I have them in all of my rooms. I'm… actually surprised you haven't noticed them before, as often as you've been to my bedroom…"

"I was distracted." Katara waved a hand and raised an eyebrow at the firebender. "Doesn't this strike you as a little… I don't know, lazy?"

Zuko frowned. "I had them installed earlier this year so that I could cut down the serving staff… and so I wouldn't have to deal with one of Lin's subordinates following me around at all hours." His brow furrowed more deeply and he seemed to hesitate. "As Fire Lord, I am not supposed to be seen running around the palace, doing things for myself. It's considered disrespectful to the people who serve me – as if I don't think they can do their jobs."

"I see…" Katara propped her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand. Quietly, she went on. "I guess… that probably applies to the Fire Lady, too, doesn't it?"

Zuko glanced away, eyebrow tilting upward. "Yeah. It does."

The waterbender nodded in understanding and let her eyes coast along the walls as she thought. There were tall paintings of deep valleys and twisting trees and one of what appeared to be a lily, executed in just a few strokes of the brush. Her brow furrowed and her gaze returned to Zuko, who seemed to be watching her. "What about handing out flowers?"

His eyes widened. "Flowers?"

"You know…" Katara straightened her posture and waved a hand. Her tone may have been a bit frosty. "Wandering the corridors with a cart of flowers… Giving them to people… Shouldn't servants have done that?"

Zuko's hands found their way onto the table and his thumbs tapped together rapidly. "Probably… but Uncle Iroh said it was a personal gesture and that it should be done by me, personally. Lin really didn't like the idea, but she went along with it because it was _his_ idea…"

"So Iroh gets to break the rules, but you don't?"

Zuko shrugged. "He's old and well-respected. I pick my battles with Lin… because they _are_ battles." He blinked down at his hands, brow furrowed. "Sometimes, I really wish I hadn't forced Li and Lo to retire… they were kind of creepy, but they definitely let Fire Lords do as they pleased…"

Not really knowing who he was talking about, Katara peered away at the far side of the room. Outside, the sun was splashing down onto the gardens at a late afternoon angle, casting the plants in bronze light.

"I'm sorry I didn't give you any flowers." Turning back, the waterbender found Zuko peering at her, brow furrowed. "My uncle said it wouldn't be appropriate… since we fought."

Katara hitched a shoulder upward. "It's okay…" She dropped her gaze to his hands and gave her lips a sideways twist. "…and I still want to apologize. For the 'favor' thing. It isn't really a favor, it's just…" She sighed, brows raising and eyes journeying off to the side. "It's scary, you know? It's a really big decision to make and, honestly, I hadn't planned on marrying for a few years, at least… This just kind of jumped out of nowhere."

"Yeah… I guess it did…" His tone was low, a little sad, and when Katara looked up at him, she found him frowning off to one side as well. "I'm sorry, too… for pushing you to make a decision… especially after what happened." Zuko looked at her, her bruised face. His expression was pained. "And for implying that growing up in a tent is a bad thing – that was… out of line."

Katara offered a little smile. "I'm sorry for saying you look down on your people – I know that's not true." She peered down, watching her fingers mesh as she wove them together on the tabletop. "And I'm sorry for implying that being an arrogant hothead is a bad thing…" Her gaze flicked up to catch the offended widening of his eyes and the waiting grin blossomed across her face. "It's actually kind of charming, sometimes."

Zuko frowned at her for a moment, as if trying to decide whether he would accept that backhanded compliment. His narrowed eyes glittered. "You don't _look_ sorry."

Katara raised her eyebrows, blinking. "Well… what would make me look sorrier?"

The firebender's frown slowly inverted into a smirk. Katara's breathing grew a bit heavier under that sly look. She couldn't tear her eyes from Zuko's lips as they parted to speak.

Then, there was a quick rap on the door; dinner had arrived.

* * *

The meal was a mix of crunchy late-summer vegetables and tender strips of meat in a rich, spicy sauce served beside rice, spring rolls stuffed with some kind of mushroom, and cool glasses of citrusy juice. Katara and Zuko, after an awkward moment of proprietary nibbling, yielded to their hunger and ate with gusto. Servants came and went, refilling glasses and taking away empty dishes.

For dessert, the cook sent the same warm, peppery chocolate that they had had a few days earlier. Katara's eyes widened as she picked up a wafer.

"Oh, I _love_ this stuff!"

"Yeah… It's, um… always been one of my favorites," Zuko murmured, trying to keep his eyes on his own dessert as he curved his fingers around the smooth porcelain. It was a losing battle. Chocolate was good… but there were better things to watch…

Katara was no longer paying attention, anyway. She slowly devoured the chocolate-laden edge of her wafer, savoring it with closed eyes. With a sigh, she peered back down at the cup of rich brown sauce, eyes hooded in pleasure. Zuko swallowed.

When a drip fell from the wafer as she raised it to her mouth and oozed down her wrist, she made a little sound of annoyance, lifted the flesh to her mouth, and wiped away the chocolate with the tip of her tongue. Zuko watched the flash of pink appear from between her dusky lips, watched them yield slightly to accommodate it. Oh, they looked so soft…

Her eyes snapped up to the firebender and her brow furrowed. "Are you okay?"

"Huh? Ah – ahem! Yes." Zuko snapped his eyes back to the cup in his hand. The chocolate was boiling sluggishly. He set it down with a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose with his free hand.

He could tell that Katara was still eyeing him. "Your face is turning red… and you're breathing pretty hard…"

"I, um…" Zuko shifted slightly, becoming aware of the erection that now pressed against his thigh. She wasn't likely to spot it through his robes, but he was still unnerved. He coughed again and lowered his hand from his face, offering the waterbender a tight smile. "Too much pepper."

"Oh, yeah… Yeah, it's pretty spicy." She looked back down into her own cup and dipped another wafer, slowly. Her tone was light and Zuko started to think that he had been clever. Then, her blue eyes snapped back onto him. "…but usually you have to taste it before that becomes a problem."

His mouth opened to offer some other defense – and then stayed open as he watched her raise the chocolate-coated wafer to her own parted lips, eyes locked on his.

"Like so."

Zuko observed with wide eyes as her tongue emerged and, in a slow sweep, collected the sauce from the wafer's edge. Then, it disappeared again behind her smirking lips.

"So it _wasn't _my table manners…"

He blinked and remembered to close his mouth. "What?"

"Nothing." Katara shrugged and popped the last of the wafer into her mouth, then raised an eyebrow at him. "I thought you liked this stuff."

Zuko rubbed the back of his neck, peering down at the cup before him. The boiling had stopped since he removed his hand from it, but gummy chocolate coated the sides of the porcelain. "I do… but it gets gritty if it's overheated and it isn't as good."

"Hm. Overheated, huh?" She was smirking at him, again. Zuko, frustrated with himself more than her, crossed his arms and frowned. The waterbender's expression shifted to a gentle smile and she glanced into her own cup, then dipped her last wafer. "I'll share what I have left with you." She scooted a bit closer and held the dessert out to him.

The firebender hesitated for only an instant before leaning towards her and licking the chocolate that was threatening to drip. Then, he slowly nibbled the edge from the wafer. His eyes flicked up to take in Katara, who was watching his mouth with wide eyes, now. She had a look of forced calm to her, as if she had tempted a skittish animal to eat from her hand and didn't want to frighten it away. Zuko allowed the corner of his mouth to turn up in the tiniest of smirks.

Dessert had never tasted so good.

Once the chocolate-coated part of the wafer was gone, he withdrew slightly and her blue eyes flicked up to meet his. Her cheeks were pink and she was breathing pretty hard. After a second and an obvious swallow, she spoke in a whisper.

"More?"

"More," he growled.

She dipped the wafer again, her hand a little shaky, and Zuko leaned closer, bracing himself on one arm. When she raised the offering to him, he locked eyes with her and slowly settled his mouth over the sauce-coated edge, working his tongue against the surface to rasp away the sweet, spicy liquid. Katara's lips parted slightly as she released a tiny puff of air. The firebender nipped through the wafer and, slowly, withdrew.

She didn't ask this time. The nub of remaining wafer was quickly dipped and returned to the space between them. Zuko inhaled deeply over it, taking in the rich scents of chocolate, spices, and, more subtly, Katara. As he exhaled, he sent his breath in a hot puff against her fingers. Her mouth opened again and a subtle furrow appeared in her brow – a furrow that deepened as he leaned in, gripped the wafer between his teeth, and pulled it from her grasp.

For a long moment, she only watched him, blinking, as he chewed. Then, she wiped the bottom of her cup with one finger and held it out to him, a hopeful smile tugging at her lips.

With his free hand, Zuko caught her wrist and pulled it closer to his face. He licked the pad of her finger with just his tongue's tip, which glided across the chocolate on the first pass, but then scraped skin on the second. Her smile had faded and was replaced by a focused look; her eyes rooted on his mouth as her finger disappeared there to the first joint.

Zuko sucked at the digit, twirling his tongue over her cuticle and pressing its tip against the underside of her nail. Katara was breathing through her mouth by the time he pulled her finger from his lips against the force of the suction he had created. There was a tiny, wet _pop_ as they parted and the waterbender made a soft noise that sent a pleasurable throb through Zuko's body.

They looked at each other for a long moment and the firebender realized that she wasn't the only one breathing heavily, now. He released her hand, but she didn't withdraw.

"There's some chocolate on your lip. Let me just get that for you…" Katara leaned slowly closer, her hand trailing along his jaw. He could feel her still-damp finger as it slid behind his ear, as her nails scraped lightly against his scalp, there. She wet her lips, revealing a sliver of pink tongue.

With a groan, Zuko turned his face away. "Katara… I got carried away and I'm sorry for that, but this is torture. Until you make up your mind, I just… can't kiss you. I can't."

He didn't look at her when she spoke, but her tone was testy. "Because Sokka said it was dishonorable?"

"Yes." The firebender shook his head slowly, frowning at the floor. "You know how much my honor matters to me."

"Yeah, and so does my brother."

He peered up at her, puzzled. She looked annoyed, arms crossed over her chest.

"Sokka may pretend to be totally fine with all of this, but he's still an obnoxious, over-protective big brother. He knows how far you'd go for your honor. It's not an accident that he pointed that out to you."

Zuko blinked.

Katara tugged her shoulders upward and rolled her eyes. "He may not be quite the inspiring leader that Dad is, but he's still charismatic and he knows how to convince people to do what he wants. Remember the pirates? He knew money was the way to turn them against you and, even though we didn't have any, he found a way to make them a better offer. Sokka knows that honor is the perfect motivator for you; he was making sure that you would mind your manners behind closed doors." She pointed a finger at the floor, one eyebrow raised.

"He… He was…"

She waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, don't feel bad. Most people underestimate him because he comes across as such a goof…" Katara smirked. "He just _got_ you this time."

Zuko frowned at her for a second before speaking. "Regardless… he had a point. It isn't honorable for me to kiss you when I might have to marry another woman." He crossed his arms over his chest, sitting rigidly in place.

Katara raised an eyebrow at him, unimpressed. "But sucking on my finger is okay?"

"No. It isn't. I just…" His eyes cast sideways in a guilty moment. "I got carried away. I keep thinking that you're about to say 'yes' and… I guess I shouldn't do that. Uncle is right; I can't expect you to do what I want. You're free to choose your own path…"

His brow furrowed and he looked back up at her thoughtful expression. "But I'll tell you right now, Katara – if you say 'no' and then end up staying here as an ambassador, I can't be around you like this, anymore. I can't let you help me at night, anymore, either. It would make me crazy to have you right beside me this way and to know that I can't ever touch you or wake up to the smell of your hair, because I have to go back to some noblewoman who I don't love."

The word hung in the air between them, heavy in the ensuing silence. Zuko looked away first, peering down at the chocolate that was now hardening in its cup, the skin dull and lusterless.

Katara spoke softly, her voice uncertain. "Does… that mean you…?"

"I…" His throat closed. He hung his head and sighed. "I… definitely trust you. Since you started coming with me, I haven't doubted that what I was doing was right… because you supported my actions and I know you wouldn't do that unless you really did agree. You're just-minded and politically aware; I trust your judgment." Zuko rubbed the back of his neck, still frowning down at the table before him. "…and I trust your ability to keep saving my life. Last night…" He shook his head, then looked up at her.

Katara still wore that thoughtful expression – brow furrowed, lips pursed, and eyes widely watching him.

Zuko swallowed and went on. "Last night was a nightmare. Between the pain and… the things Lo Wei said were happening to you… I was… For a little while, I lost hope. And then, he called you a 'toy.'" Katara's eyebrow raised and a frown took her lips, but the firebender went on. "That was when I knew that he was a fool and he had underestimated you. I _knew_ that you were probably already coming for me." Zuko's gaze darted back to the table top and his eyebrow tilted upward. "It never even crossed my mind that you might just make a run for it and save yourself."

"Well, good," she snapped. Surprised, the firebender looked back to find Katara's mouth set in a determined line. "I would never abandon you somewhere like that. Not ever."

"I know." Zuko smiled, faintly. "Partners watch out for each other."

She nodded slowly. "Partners take care of each other."

Their eyes locked for a long moment. Finally, the firebender held out a hand and, as Katara slid her fingers into his, he marveled at how small and brown they looked against his own long, pale digits. He ran his thumb lightly over the delicate ridges of her knuckles and looked back into her lovely blue eyes. "I want _you_ to be my partner, Katara. No one but you."

The waterbender blinked. "I am."

An instant later, she cast her eyes off to one side, speaking very quickly. "I mean, I hate being forced to make such an important decision so quickly and I hate that you and my dad keep butting heads like a pair of fat bull-moose-walruses and I'm _really_ not happy about this scandal-thing…" Her eyes slipped back to his and her brow furrowed, her grip on his fingers tightened. "…but you can't get out of this and I won't abandon you in this palace any more than I would have abandoned you in that cellar."

He stared at her through the moment of silence, taking in her emphatic expression, her reassuring eyes. "You mean… you'll marry me?"

Katara's face split into an uncertain smile. "Yeah. I'll marry you, Zuko."

For a second, the firebender was intensely happy. He squeezed her fingers and smiled broadly… and then that uncertainty in her smile started to really sink in. Rationally, he knew that she was making a big decision for him and that she wasn't really happy to be put in this position… but it stung more than it should have that she was so unsure.

Zuko, smile fading, released his grip on her hand. "Why?"

Katara held onto his fingers as her eyes widened. "Why what?"

The firebender's brow furrowed and he tugged on his trapped hand. "You asked me why I wanted to marry you and I racked by brain thinking about it. Then, you argued with me about my reasons while pressed up against me in your underwear." He peered at her dryly, mouth pulled into a thoughtful frown. She wasn't meeting his eyes and looked a bit guilty, but she still wouldn't let go of his hand. "I think I deserve at least an explanation of what made you decide to marry me."

With her free hand, she scratched the back of her head. "Well…"

* * *

AN: Pbbt... that's how I feel about the end of this chapter. I'm not sure whether it's a result of tiredness or the writing itself... Readers, your feedback is always appreciated.


	32. Chapter 32

AN: Yay rah for getting things done! Thanks go out to all my dear reviewers for your continued support and positivity throughout my glum moments. Thank you!

Kimberly T. - O.O ...you devious mind-reader, you... I've been debating on the masked ball idea for a while... It does have some pretty spectacular potential... Hmm...

* * *

Katara took a deep breath and, eyes set firmly on her empty dessert cup, began talking. "It kind of just… hit me… when I saw you giving flowers to some noblewoman and reciting a poem to her. It wasn't exactly jealousy… well, it… I mean… that's not what I mean." She huffed, her brow furrowing deeply.

After a few more deep breaths, the waterbender spoke again, slowly and in a low voice. "When you got hit by Azula's lightning - that was the first time I was really afraid that you would die. You were my friend, then, and you saved my life diving in front of that blast. I threw everything I had into healing you… and I was so scared that it wouldn't be enough."

Zuko frowned down at her hand, still clamped around his. Her palm must have started sweating, because his fingers were beginning to slide loose.

Not seeming to notice, Katara went on. "It was the same with Chu Tan and Lo Wei. Both times you were hurt and both times I was… terrified of losing you. Lo Wei was the worst. When I walked into that room and saw you hanging there… you were so bloody and you had the mask on, so I couldn't see your face… For a second, I thought you were already dead. I…" She swallowed, hanging her head. "Zuko, I wasn't bluffing – I really would have made that man cut himself. And worse. I haven't wanted to kill since Yan Rha… but it definitely crossed my mind last night."

The firebender stared at her, brow furrowed. Her fury at Lo Wei had reminded him so much of seeing her face Yan Rha… but he had thought that anger stemmed from what had obviously just happened to her...

Katara bit her lip, took a deep breath, and went on. "Today… when I saw you with that noblewoman… I got that same panicky feeling that I get when I think you're about to die. She wasn't threatening your life, though… She was going on about some stupid poet and you seemed to know what she was talking about…"

"I didn't," Zuko put in, softly. "I hate poetry. It's boring."

He was rewarded with a glowing smile before Katara looked back at her dessert cup and went on. "When I got into it with Lady Lo Kang the day before yesterday, I just didn't want someone that manipulative to get involved with you; I wasn't actually thinking about being with you, myself… But today… before I destroyed your cart… I realized that I didn't want to lose you, period. Not to death and not to some poetry-loving Earth Kingdom noble." She cast her eyes back at him, a little smile playing on her lips. "I want to be with you. I… want to be there to protect you when I can and to put you back together when I can't."

Zuko returned her smile, faintly, but hitched one shoulder upward. His fingers were still sliding slowly out of her hand. "Is that it? You just… want to make sure I don't die?"

Katara huffed and dropped her head and shoulders forward. She looked frustrated… but judging by her continued grip on his fingers – she had him by the ends of just two digits, now – she wasn't frustrated with him… exactly. "No… that's what I've been trying to explain… If it was just not wanting you to die, I'd volunteer to be your bodyguard or something. Zuko, I… Half the time, you're pushy and you have a horrible temper and you don't seem to think of much that doesn't have to do with your country and…"

Zuko scowled at the waterbender and yanked his hand free. She just looked up at him, shaking her head wonderingly. "…and I _like_ that about you."

He stared at her, scowl reducing to a frown and arms crossing over his chest, and she went on without pausing. "I _like_ it that you'll stand up for what you believe in against anybody, especially me, and I _like_ how passionate you get about the things that matter to you. And I _like_ it that you're so devoted to serving your people that you're willing to sacrifice your own body to them, night after night." Katara shrugged. "And those aren't even your good qualities."

Zuko held his frown as he watched her for a moment. Then, he cast his lidded eyes off to one side, eyebrow riding high. "Which are?"

"Well, first things first…" He looked back to find her smirking at him, hands folded in her lap. "Your honor. You say it's a Fire Nation thing, but I have never known anyone to set as much stock in their honor as you do. It can be infuriating sometimes… like when you chased us around the world or when you refuse to kiss me…" Katara raised an eyebrow and went on with a sigh. "…but, overall, it makes you a respectable sort of man. You mentioned how 'fearless' I was when you captured me with the pirates… but it didn't take long for me to figure out that I didn't need to be afraid of you, Zuko. You were too hung up on honor to let me be harmed while you held me captive."

He allowed a faint smirk. "But I tied you to a tree and everything."

Katara rolled her eyes, grinning. "Yeah. You tied me to a tree and then tried to bargain with me. No threats – just reason and promises. I… actually gained a lot of respect for you, after that. You proved that you weren't the bully I thought you were when you first came to my village." Her grin had softened to a smile. "And, if you want to talk about being fearless, let's talk about you sneaking into the fortress at the North Pole, alone."

"Actually, I'd call that desperate and stupid. I didn't have an escape plan… and, if Aang hadn't been in a trance, I probably couldn't have caught him, anyway."

"I've never been able to figure out why you didn't just go back out the way you came in. It was a pretty bad idea for you to wander off across an arctic plain like that…"

"Honestly…" Zuko shrugged, shooting her a tiny smile. "…I was rattled. I figured cutting through the city again in broad daylight was more likely to get me caught by another waterbender." His smile widened. "You were the first one I fought, you know. I wasn't in a hurry to repeat the experience…"

Katara smiled, a little wistfully. "Yeah, that was a good fight. For a long time after that, whenever I needed to boost my ego, I would think of that first time I kicked your butt."

The firebender snorted. "Right. Until the sun came up."

Her lips pinched together, fighting back a smile, and she raised an eyebrow. "Itching for a rematch, Hotman?"

Zuko took a long look at her before the cocky grin spread over his face. "I could go for a spar. The practice yard by the guard barracks. Noon."

"Noon?" she squawked. "That'll give you a huge advantage! No fair!"

"Oh, are you afraid, waterbender?"

Her eyes narrowed and she pointed a finger at him. "You're on, turtle-duck. And when I kick your butt under the big hot sun, you can tell me all about how it tastes. The humiliation, I mean. Not the sun."

"Likewise." Zuko smirked at her and snagged her hand out of the air, twisting his fingers through hers.

Katara ran her thumb along the length of his and a smile built over her face. "So… Now that you know why I decided to marry you and we've set a time for our next fight…" He joined her in a low chuckle, peering at the way their fingers striped dark and pale. "…are we… okay?"

"Yeah… I think so…" Despite his words, Zuko's smile faded as he met her eyes. He blinked and looked at her askance. "…but… if you're marrying me because you… like me… why did you seem so… uncertain about it?"

Katara shrugged, eyes darting off to one side and brows tilting upward a bit. "I'm not all _that_ uncertain…" Under his level gaze, she went on. "…but, like I said, this is a big deal. I mean, I only ever had one boyfriend and we weren't exactly adults… It's scary for me to screw up the confidence to say 'yes, Zuko, I'll marry you and bear your children.' I mean, I have lots of practice with mothering, but I still don't feel like I'm… Zuko?"

The firebender sat very still, staring at her. He probably had a funny look on his face, but he wasn't really aware of that, or of Katara waving a hand in front of his eyes… or anything, really.

Somehow, it had escaped his mind that the need for an heir was the source of this entire struggle… that asking Katara to spend her life with him inevitably meant that she would have his children. Images flashed through his head; Katara heavy with child, Katara holding a baby – _his_ baby, _their_ baby… Katara leading their children through the gardens like a mother turtle-duck…

And himself, sitting behind the wall of fire in the throne room, looking down on his kneeling family. As his father had done, as his grandfather had done.

Her hands were on his face, now, cupping either side of his jaw as she stared into his eyes. She looked worried. "Zuko? Are you okay?"

The firebender stared at her for a long moment, trying to picture her kneeling before the throne, and found that he couldn't. She was proud and defiant and would refuse to debase herself to him, Fire Lord or not. He remembered how protective she had always been of Aang, how fierce she had been whenever anyone threatened the young Avatar…

_Because, Zuko, that's how mothers are; you mess with their babies and they'll bite back._

He raised his hands to lay them over hers against his face and shut his eyes, reassuring himself that Katara would defend her children, even from him.

"Zuko?"

The firebender opened his eyes again, meeting her concerned blue gaze. "You'll be a great mother, Katara – when you're ready. I'm just… not sure what kind of father I'll be."

She nodded, lightly stroking his cheeks with both thumbs. It was an odd, asymmetrical sensation; he could feel one side acutely but the other side was just the echo of sensation. A smile slowly spread over her face. "I'm sure you'll figure it out. You're pretty smart; you do speak Math, after all."

"What?"

The waterbender shook her head. "Oh, nothing…"

Zuko frowned at her for a moment. "How can you be so sure, Katara? My father was… brutal. How do you know that that's not in me, too?"

She tilted her head slightly to one side, still stroking his face. "You're very different from your father, Zuko. You're a just and self-sacrificing ruler and you've spent time living a hard life, so you can sympathize with the plight of your people. You have a lot of power at your disposal, but you also have a lot of restraint." Her lips curled upward. "You're a good man. I wouldn't agree to marry you if I didn't think so."

Zuko swallowed, peering into her eyes that were as blue and shining as the sun-struck harbor, and let himself believe her, trust that she knew.

Katara's smile was a little wider, her eyes half-hooded. "Can I get that chocolate off your lip, now?"

His eyes widened. "There's really chocolate on my lip? This whole time?"

"Is that important?" she asked, her voice a whisper as she leaned closer.

"I… No. Not at all." Zuko watched her eyes approaching. It was like diving into the sea… and then he was swallowed as her soft lips dragged across his gently. He shut his eyes and let her kiss him for a while, let himself relax under her tender, light ministrations and forget his worries. He slid the tips of his fingers lightly down past her bare wrists and her bent elbows, then back up to her shoulders, tugging lightly at the sleeves of her plain blue tunic.

One of her hands, the one on the good side of his face, slipped below his ear and into his hair, pulling his topknot loose. Distantly, he heard the heavy thump of the Fire Lord's ornament hitting the floor. More immediately, he felt her fingers sliding through his hair and against the ridged skin of his scar and her tongue gliding against the seam of his lips. He sighed through his nose and tilted his head to one side, opening his mouth and slanting it against hers.

Zuko soon found the position in which he was sitting to be too uncomfortable; with his legs bent and folded before him as they were and his torso twisted so that he could face Katara, the pants he wore beneath his robes were pulled uncomfortably tight in the crotch. When he shifted a leg to alter his position, though, the waterbender, seemingly intuitively, took advantage of his imbalance and pushed him to the floor. Her hand cradled his head as he went down half-beneath her and she loomed over him, her forearm braced on the floor near his shoulder.

Katara withdrew from the kiss and began lightly brushing her lips over his cheeks and jaw, his brow. Her other hand was still on his scar, her thumb sliding below his eye and her fingers splayed out over his ruined ear, and her mouth found every part of the damaged flesh that was not obscured. He could hardly feel the brushing of her lips there, like a subtle jet in otherwise still water.

But the lack of physical sensation didn't stop her kisses and touches from making Zuko feel unreasonably good. He groaned and his hands slid down from her shoulders, rubbing firmly over her clothed back. The long muscles lining her spine tensed and shifted as she moved over him to kiss the hollow between his eye and nose. Suddenly, it didn't seem like a stupid question, anymore. "Do you… _like_ my scar?"

Katara paused, drawing away slightly and peering down into his bad eye. Her fingers went on stroking him as she thought for a moment. "I've never met anyone else with a scar like this. I've always associated it with you, for better or for worse…" She grinned, hooded eyes gazing down at him. "…and, lately, my feelings about you have really had an effect on how I feel about this scar… Yes. I like it." The waterbender pressed her lips against his misshapen brow and then brushed them slowly side-to-side, breathing against him; he could feel the warm air gust across the healthy skin of his forehead. A smile crept across Zuko's face and he closed his eyes, focusing on the faint sensations.

With her mouth still touching his scarred skin, she went on, a bit hesitantly now. "And… it helps me remember that… those are _your_ hands."

It took Zuko a while to really understand what she was saying. When he did, though, his eyes popped open and he wrenched his hands from her lower back, guilt buzzing in his gut. "Agni, Katara! I'm sorry! I completely forgot the hot hands thing – I-"

"No, Zuko…" She drew back and smiled down at him, tugging gently on his bad ear. "Don't stop. I like your hands. It was just… a little unnerving last night, you know? I'm getting used to it really quickly…" Her smile faded and there was a suggestive tone to her low voice. "Really quickly."

He peered up into her earnest expression for a long moment, then lowered his hands again to her back. Her smile returned and she kissed his lips lightly. Zuko turned his face into her hand as the kiss broke, nuzzling the heel of her palm. When he looked up at her, he found her eyes half-lidded and set on his mouth. With a smirk, the firebender kissed the cup of her palm and slid the tip of his tongue through the valley dividing the base of her hand, down to the thin skin of her wrist.

Katara gasped and, lips parted and brow furrowed in a sort of determination, was leaning in for another kiss when the door opened. Inches away, she stopped and peered upward.

Zuko tilted his head back and caught sight of Lin, whose subtly disapproving expression was very recognizable, even when viewed upside-down. "Fire Lord Zuko," she said, her tone perfectly respectful. "The kitchen girl would like to know if she might take the last of your dishes."

The firebender cleared his throat. Katara, who had seemed frozen above him in a wide-eyed, red-cheeked moment of panic, scrambled off of him and assumed a rigid, upright posture on her own sitting mat. Zuko sat up more slowly, trying to retain as much dignity as possible… which was difficult with his hair shagging into his eyes. "Um, yes. That would be acceptable."

"Very well, sir." Lin turned in the doorway and, with a gesture, ushered in a young woman with a tray, who scurried around them, gathering the last of the dishes and pointedly not looking at the Fire Lord's disheveled appearance. She did, however, cast a few subtle glances at the blushing waterbender, who carefully stacked her desert cup onto her empty saucer and placed them on the tray, herself.

Zuko smirked. Clearly, Katara would have some trouble adjusting to palace life…

At last, the kitchen maid took the tray of dishes and marched out of the room. Lin, who had waited in the doorway throughout this interruption, stood politely with head bowed and hands clasped before her.

Zuko narrowed his eyes at the older woman. She wasn't fooling anyone.

"Does the Most Honorable Lord have any other need to which his household staff may see, presently?"

At that careful phrasing, the Fire Lord's eyes bulged for an instant before narrowing again. "No."

"Will the Most Honorable Lord be adjourning to his chamber soon?"

"Again, no. I will summon someone when it pleases me to do so." Zuko felt that he was doing an excellent job of keeping a level tone, considering the annoyance that was bubbling up within him at present.

The serving woman was doing this on purpose, trying to embarrass him or Katara into ending their evening before anything disgraceful happened on the floor of his lounge; Zuko knew because they had played this game before, when Mai was his visitor.

Lin knew precisely how far she could push him – in fact, she knew that the rules of Fire Nation Protocol required that a lord not punish his vassal without good reason and, what's more, she knew that Zuko, unlike his father, obeyed those rules. As long as she asked polite questions that a servant needed to know the answers to, she could ask anything.

The Fire Lord had made the move that usually got rid of her, though. Normally, she would accept this as code; she would leave for a quarter-hour or so and Zuko would abstain from being caught in some state of undress.

But the older woman's eyes flicked up to cast him a dry look before dropping back to the floor. Zuko recognized a sign of danger. She would not be so easily defeated, this time.

"Will the Most Honored Lord be entertaining in his bedroom, tonight?"

The firebender's face turned hot and he shot a wide-eyed glance at Katara. She was still sitting rigidly, a politely blank expression on her pinking face. Scowling, Zuko turned back and drew breath to send Lin on her way…

…but he was interrupted by Katara's steely tone.

"Yes. I will be Fire Lord Zuko's guest for the night."

* * *

AN: Yeah, cliff-hanger just got a lot cliffier...


	33. Chapter 33

AN: Thanks, reviewers! You all make my day!

**

* * *

**

Katara got the pleasure of seeing Lin's eyes bug out for a full five seconds before she managed to regain her composure. After watching the older woman set Zuko so thoroughly on edge, it was a gratifying sight.

Lin's self-control was excellent, though. Her widened eyes never lifted from the proper spot on the floor, her posture didn't shift from subtle submission, and, when she at last regained the power of speech, her voice was as calm and low as it had been before Katara made her announcement.

"Fire Lord Zuko, do you wish me to make any special preparations for Master Katara's stay?"

For a long moment, the waterbender only watched the serving woman. When she realized that the silence was stretching on, though, she cast the firebender a sideways glance. He was staring back at her, yellow eyes wide and mouth still hanging open from when he had intended to speak.

Katara, brow furrowed, glanced between the waiting serving woman and the stunned Fire Lord a couple of times before taking action. She reached out with one hand and gave Zuko a firm poke on the shoulder, beneath the upturned edge of his mantle.

He blinked at her once before turning to Lin and clearing his throat. "Hem. Yes. We will need some… supplies. Master Katara!" His brow rode high beneath his shaggy hair and he cast her a sneaky sideways glace. "Tell Lin what supplies we will need."

"Um…" The waterbender folded her hands in her lap and peered around the room, thinking fast. "Well… We need some… candles. Yes. A lot of them. And, also… uh…" What else did people need for romantic evenings in a bedroom? Katara drew a blank.

Her eyes scanned over Zuko. He was staring at her again with an expression that was difficult to decipher; for the most part, it was shock… but there were other things, too. His hair was hanging in his face, though, and Katara, ever practical, went on. "And I could use a hairbrush, for in the morning. And some clean clothes… Oh, and some long strips of cloth for…" She stopped herself, waved a hand, and shook her head. "Actually, if you could send someone to my room to just get my bag, that would really pretty much do it."

Lin, to her credit, kept a perfectly straight face. "It will be done, Master Katara. Would you like a warm cup of Chit-Tso tea before you retire?"

Katara smiled, though that variety of tea was unknown to her and the offer seemed a bit out-of-nowhere. "That would be very nice. Thank you."

Lin's head gave a tiny bob. "I will bring it to you, personally. If that is all, Fire Lord, Master Katara?" At Zuko's short nod, she gave them each a firm bow and then swiftly vanished back through the threshold.

Katara waited until the door had shut before turning a questioning eye on Zuko. He still had that odd look on his face. She raised an eyebrow. "You're acting pretty jumpy, considering this was your idea."

His eyes widened before narrowing in a scowl as he raised a thumb to jab himself in the chest. His good cheek was reddening by the second. "_My_ idea? That- that's absurd!"

The waterbender crossed her arms over her chest, her own mood darkening. "Well, how did _you_ plan to convince everyone that we're… behaving scandalously?"

Zuko blinked. "Oh. That." Katara tilted her head quizzically, but he looked down and his scowl relaxed slightly, though his expression remained sour. "_My_ idea was to be caught kissing in a corridor or- or something. Not to have you officially invite yourself into my bed… to Lin." He ran a hand through his hair, releasing a deep breath. "Lin is very discreet… In fact, she's so discreet that she usually manages to force discretion on all of the staff members beneath her. She won't be able to keep this quiet, though… Even if she gathers your supplies herself, maids will notice and the rumors will start flying."

Katara frowned, brow furrowed. "But I thought that was the point. It's a scandal. It's _supposed_ to spread everywhere."

"But it didn't have to go through _Lin_." Zuko leveled a rueful gaze on her. "More than anything else in the entire world, Lin hates scandal and dishonor within the royal family; she thinks it reflects poorly on her as our servant. She won't want this to get out and will do everything in her power to stop it. When she can't, she'll probably hold it against you for the rest of your natural life."

Katara blinked. There was… pity in his eyes. All this over the grudge of his head serving woman? With a sigh, the waterbender shook her head, smiling faintly. "Oh, Zuko… how bad can it be?"

He just stared at her, expression grave. "Worse than you can even imagine."

Katara blinked and, after a skeptical moment, shrugged. "Well, it's already done. There's no point in worrying over it, now. I'll deal with the consequences as they come."

Zuko was still watching her as if she had signed her own death warrant. With his face tilted forward and his black hair shagging over his brow the way it was, he looked broodier than usual. It struck Katara as a little silly and, fighting back her smile, she reached to the floor between them and picked up the band that had held his topknot.

Then, she offered him a dramatic bow from her sitting position. "Would the Most Honorable Lord like his hair retied?"

He frowned at her, as if to say that she wasn't taking this seriously enough, but nodded.

Katara moved to kneel behind him and began running her fingers through his hair, encouraging her perfectionism to drag the task out. The black strands were as sleek as they had always looked and they slid through her grasp, so it was easy to let a lock escape here or there as an excuse to start over again. Sinking her fingers into Zuko's hair was oddly like stroking running water, the way it slid, frictionless, against her skin. She had noticed this before the meeting as well, but hadn't had the time to really enjoy it.

Unlike now.

Katara's enjoyment was tempered, though, by the firebender's obvious tension. He sat very rigidly before her, his neck stiff and unyielding and his breathing a bit faster than was usual. It occurred to her that Lin's opinion might mean more to the Fire Lord than he let on. Tying off the topknot, the waterbender drew away, frowning at the back of his head.

"Zuko? Are you really that mad about this?"

He twisted to look back at her over his shoulder with his good eye. "I'm not mad… I just…" For a second, she had a glimpse of the profile of him as he might have been. His dark, elegant brow, his sharp chin and strong jaw, his keen yellow eye and the straight ridge of his nose… he was handsome, even beautiful.

Zuko shifted his position so that he could peer at her with both eyes, a question furrowing his brow.

"Katara… do you actually mean to-?"

He was cut off by a knock on the door. With a sigh, the waterbender sat back down on her mat and picked up the Fire Lord's ornament from the floor at her side, holding it in both hands on her lap. It was cold and heavy against her thigh. _Now_ she knocks…

Zuko straightened his posture and called out, "Enter."

Lin bowed formally as she stepped into the room. "I have made the requested preparations, Fire Lord Zuko." With her, she carried a small golden tray and she soon knelt before Katara, offering up her burden. On the platter was a tiny porcelain cup that looked like nothing so much as a white dove's egg set on end. "Your Chit-Tso tea, Master Katara." The older woman's calm gaze was set on the floor before her knees.

The waterbender frowned in confusion and shot a glance at Zuko, curious as to why he wasn't having special tea as well, but he was busily examining the edge of his sitting mat. After a brief hesitation, she took the warm cup between finger and thumb and sipped the liquid inside.

It tasted almost as if Yoshu's tea had been converted to an evil syrup; the Chit-Tso tea was cloyingly sweet, thick, and the herbal flavors were bitterly powerful, like bad medicine. Katara stared down into the half-empty cup, working her mouth and swallowing repeatedly to disperse the vile liquid.

"That's _awful_! People actually _choose_ to drink this?"

Lin's eyes snapped up to Katara's face for an instant before returning to the floor. Likewise, Zuko shot her a startled glance and then quickly looked away. Only the older woman spoke. "You have not… had Chit-Tso tea, before, Master Katara?"

The waterbender's eyes danced in a puzzled triangle from the cup to the serving woman to the firebender. From Lin's tone, that question meant more than it seemed to. "No. I haven't."

Because she was watching, she caught Lin's sharp glance at Zuko, who was still peering with extreme focus at the edge of his mat. The serving woman hesitated before speaking again in her low tone. "The entire dose must be drunk or the tea will have no effect."

Katara stared at the graying top of Lin's head for a long moment as this sank in. It tasted like medicine because it _was_ medicine. Medicine for women who were about to spend the night with men. It was a contraceptive.

The waterbender peered at the thick, dark liquid and became suddenly aware of just what she was doing. Drinking the second half of the dose would prove to Lin that she had every intention of needing a contraceptive, tonight. It would be good to have a witness… but what good was a discreet witness who would tell no one? What's more, a discreet witness who would subtly loath Katara for the rest of her natural life, not only for the scandal that was building, but for this moment, when a second swallow only brought greater dishonor to the royal family.

She also became aware of Zuko, who was watching her closely out of the corner of his eye. He had started to ask her a question…

…_do you actually mean to…?_

"Would you like some water to drink with your tea, Master Katara?"

Realizing that she had sat unmoving for too long, the waterbender shook her head. "No. I think I've lost my taste for this particular sort of tea." She replaced the half-full cup on the tray with a decisive _clack_. Lin withdrew the tray slightly, sat a little straighter, and blinked, but gave no other sign of her thoughts.

Zuko cleared his throat and his good cheek went bright red. "It isn't… tea, Katara…"

"I know." She met his nervous eyes and tried to offer as much assurance as she could without words. Then, she went on. "But I still hate to offend the brewer who tried so hard. Lin, when you return this to the kitchen, will anyone see that this particular cup isn't empty?"

"Yes, Master Katara. The dish-washer and any other servants who I may pass on my way are very likely to notice… especially due to the cup's unique shape and size."

"That won't do… It would be best if no one but you finds out that I did not finish my tea, tonight." Katara frowned, watching the older woman's eyes narrow fractionally. "Lin, may I ask you a question of personal opinion?"

"Of course, Master Katara." Despite the affirmative response, she did not look pleased at this.

The waterbender peered down at the golden ornament in her hands and found that her fingers had left ghostly marks wherever she had touched. "Do you think that, when someone acts honorably in private, that their honor is as good as that of someone acting honorably before peers?"

The older woman's keen amber eyes shot up to Katara's in an assessing sweep and she frowned as understanding came to her. "The honor is equal… but disgrace, even if it conceals honorable behavior, is to be avoided." Her eyes flicked to Zuko, then back to the waterbender.

Katara pressed on, though she kept her eyes on her thumb as it traced the edge of the golden flame. "I've… recently come to realize that a little disgrace can be… worth some things. Sometimes…" She rubbed one face of the Fire Lord's ornament against her plain blue tunic, wiping away the fingerprints. "Sometimes we must embarrass ourselves a little bit to reach an understanding with others. We must sacrifice our pride for something more important." She peered back up to find Lin watching the movements of her hands. Her face was unreadable. "It is very important to the traditions of my people and therefore to me," she enunciated, "that no one but you discovers that I did not… need to drink my tea, tonight."

Lin again met Katara's eyes and, for a long moment, held them. Then, she looked back to the floor before her knees. "Fire Lord Zuko, when shall I send to the greenhouse for Blast Lillies and Ember Orchids?"

"Oh! Uh…" Zuko's eyes bulged, as if he was surprised and perhaps a little alarmed to be dragged into this conversation. "We haven't exactly talked about a _date_, yet…" Katara's eyes grew wide with understanding; there had been a room filled with lilies and orchids at Sokka and Suki's wedding.

"If I may be so bold, the Most Honorable Lord would be wise to take advantage of the current international gathering, if he intends to display his affections publicly." Her eyes flicked up at him, then back down. "His Majesty might also consider the strain it will be for a proud vassal to not defend her lord's honor when it comes under fire."

Zuko's eyes slid sideways and he frowned deeply.

Katara cleared her throat. "I think Hau mentioned a farewell banquet on the sixth day… perhaps it could double as…" She trailed off and, under the firebender's stare, she shrugged. "It's only practical."

After a second, he nodded. "Practical. Yeah." Expression firming, he looked back at Lin's bowed head. "Late afternoon on the sixth day, then… but… don't begin preparations until late tomorrow."

Lin did not frown, but her tone was a bit chilly. "His Majesty flatters me, that he thinks me able to organize his wedding in just two days' time."

Katara and Zuko said nothing, each avoiding eye-contact with the other.

After a moment, the serving woman went on. "It will, of course, be done as you say, Fire Lord Zuko. Shall I see the Most Honorable Lord and his guest to the bedroom?"

"That won't be necessary. You may go."

Smoothly, the older woman rose to her feet and made her way to the door. She paused in the threshold and turned to look back at Katara, still holding the golden tray before her. "It is not a humble servant's place to pass judgment on her master's company… but you will make an excellent Fire Lady, Master Katara."

Then, while the stunned waterbender blinked at her, Lin took the tiny cup between thumb and forefinger and swallowed the last of the Chit-Tso tea without so much as flinching.

When she had gone, silence fell over the room. Zuko was the first to speak.

"She's right, you know." Katara peered over at him to find a smile tugging at his lips. "Lin knows these things."

Face heating, she smiled and looked down at the ornament still sitting heavily in her lap. With a raised eyebrow, she held up the golden flame and Zuko slowly bowed his head so that she could place it more easily, never looking away from her eyes.

* * *

They walked in silence to his bedroom, passing a few servants and guards in the corridors along the way. Katara felt their eyes on her, and recognized that speculation already had a firm root.

After tonight, that root would only be more deeply-dug.

She bore it all with steady breathing and good posture and shortly found herself watching as Zuko opened his door for her. It occurred to her that, despite all of her visits to this room, she had never used this entrance. In the instant before she stepped through, she took in the firebender's calm body language and shifty eyes.

Just a few steps into the room, Katara pulled up short. There were… people, here. Servants with submissive posture and trays.

A tidily-groomed young man approached her. "A hot towel for you, Master Katara?"

"I, uh… No, thank you." She shot a look at Zuko, but he had crossed the room and stepped through a doorway that was concealed behind a subtle wooden panel. It stood open still and, curious, Katara moved around the room, weaving past servants who were turning the enormous bed down and lighting candles with controlled bursts of firebending. When she could see into the room, she stopped, frozen in place.

It was some sort of enormous walk-in closet. Zuko stood in the room's center and, as she watched, he nodded imperiously to two men before raising his arms out to the sides so that they could untie the straps of his mantle and lift it over his head. They carried it to a stand nearby and another servant knelt to remove the Fire Lord's curl-toed shoes. Someone had already taken the ornament from his topknot and a fifth man began unbuttoning the back of his robes. Zuko stared straight ahead, expressionless.

He knew she was watching, though – his face was as red as his robes.

Katara quickly turned away and moved to another part of the room. Her own face was hot, not just because she had been watching the Fire Lord's servants undress him, but because she was embarrassed for him… She remembered, then, what he had said, that his servants would take offense if he didn't allow them to do their jobs…

…that the same was true of the Fire Lady.

"Master Katara, would you like-?"

"No!"

The middle-aged man, who held a tray of what appeared to be small fruit tarts covered in rose petals, startled slightly and dipped his head a little closer to the floor. Katara immediately felt guilty.

"I mean, um… No, thank you. I don't like… whatever those things are. I might, uh… like a drink of water, though." The taste of the Chit-Tso tea was still strong in her mouth.

"Right away, Master Katara." The servant bowed his head slightly and withdrew and, seconds later, she found a goblet in her hand. The servant stood nearby with a matching pitcher on a tray, ready to please.

"Ah… thank you." She blinked and took a sip, casting the man a sideways glance. As the other servants finished their tasks and dispersed, the room grew quiet, the candle-light and subtle scent of incense seeming to shrink the space into something much more intimate than Katara had expected possible for such a gaudy, oversized room. Zuko must have had a lot of buttons on those robes…

She cleared her throat and again peered at the servant with the pitcher. They were, by then, the last people in the room. He was staring at the floor, as Lin had. Katara, still feeling a little guilty over snapping at the man, decided to try to strike up a conversation. "What's your name?"

"I am called Pho, Master Katara."

"Have you, uh… worked here long?"

He blinked. "I have had the honor of serving the royal family for twenty-one years, Master Katara."

"That's… a really long time… You must be very devoted."

"My father served the Fire Lord until his death some years ago. It would honor me greatly to do the same." His eyes flicked to Katara, then back to the floor. "One does what one can to honor one's nation and one's family."

Her cheeks heated again as that subtle jab sank in. She tried to remind herself that the scandal and dishonor were desirable things, that she should be glad that it was getting off to such a great start. However, Katara couldn't seem to stop herself from scowling. "One does," she said, trying not to let the indignity into her voice. "I think I've had about enough to drink. How about you go honorably serve somebody else for a while, since you're so _honorable_." She set her goblet on his tray and, with a bow, Pho hurried off.

Katara had only just crossed her arms to glare after him when Zuko emerged from the closet, clad in the red silk sleep clothes that she remembered from the previous night. Someone had untied his topknot and his hair shagged around his face, but his posture was still rigid and commanding. His servants emerged after him and made what sounded like well-practiced inquiries.

The Fire Lord waved a dismissive hand. "Leave us."

They filed out and, as the door shut behind the last man, Katara heaved a sigh and bit her lip.

Zuko turned to face her and, before her eyes, the Fire Lord diminished into an uncomfortable teenager. He peered around the room and rubbed the back of his neck. "So… I see they… brought your stuff…"

The waterbender followed his gaze to a table standing against one wall that had not been there the last time she had visited this room. On it, arranged in immaculate order, were her things – a bag of clothing and a few items that she had left on the vanity. She frowned, suddenly wondering if Toph had been in the room when the servant came to gather her possessions. If she had, there was no way the earthbender would wait until morning to inform the rest of the group; it was just too juicy not to share…

Sokka could be hyperventilating on the floor somewhere, right now.

Katara sighed. "Yeah. That's my stuff, alright."

Zuko shifted his weight from one foot to the other and, after a long silence, pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, I'm just going to say this…" He leveled his yellow eyes on her and held out a hand to one side. "Traditional Fire Lord robes are _impossible_ for the wearer to remove without destroying them. I know, because I tried. And, for that matter, the under-layers are more complicated than the engine room of my old steam boat, so-"

Katara chuckled as she pictured the Fire Lord growing frustrated and burning his own clothes off, only to discover that his undergarments were made of steel ship parts… When she looked up, he was not amused. Rather, he peered at her with a furrowed brow. "I'm sorry, Zuko…" Grinning as she was, she probably didn't _look_ sorry. She smoothed her features into a reassuring smile. "You don't have to explain; it's just the way your people do things. Servants doing their work. I get it."

His expression brightened a little.

Katara shrugged and looked away. "I'm, uh… not so sure that I could hold still for that, myself, though."

Zuko smiled a little smugly, as if he'd seen this coming a mile away. "It does take some getting used to… but the Fire Lady's robes aren't actually all that different from the Fire Lord's, so you may have to… adapt."

She tipped her head to one side, raising an eyebrow. "What if I want to wear my Tribal blues?"

The firebender's eyes widened and he stared at her for a long moment. Apparently, he hadn't thought of this. "That would be… pretty unorthodox…" Katara's jaw tightened, but she forced herself to be patient, watching him carefully as he crossed his arms, shrugging into the posture, and went on slowly. "…but then, you aren't Fire Nation… And, as far as public image goes, this union isn't about the Fire Nation consuming the Water Tribe. For my country, it's about showing respect and value for a culture that was… not treated well, in the past." Zuko frowned, casting his eyes off to one side, briefly. Then, he looked back up at her, his eyes a bit narrowed. "The Fire Lady's hair ornament?"

Katara offered an apologetic half-smile. "Of course I'll wear that. And, so we're clear… I'm not opposed to wearing traditional Fire Lady clothes when I'm acting in an official capacity… but I don't want my heritage to just be forgotten, either. And, actually…" She held her head high. It was a little late to make demands, now that the scandal was headed irrevocably into full-swing, but this was important, both personally and politically. "…I would like to continue working as Ambassador for my people."

"You're talking about a lot of work, you know…" Zuko rubbed the back of his neck, as if just thinking about it made him tired.

"I like to stay busy. I can delegate some responsibilities, later, but it's important that I continue to act as Ambassador, now, to publicly prove that I value the honor my father did me by putting me forward the way he did."

"That's… a pretty good point." The firebender nodded, peering at her steadily. After a silent moment, he tilted his head to one side and took a step toward her, his voice a little softer. "You know, speaking of honor… I have a question for you."

Katara blinked. "What's that?"

"That was a pretty clever little trick you pulled, with Lin. All that talk of honorable behavior in private…" He stepped closer and hitched a shoulder slightly upward, an amused smirk stealing onto his face. Because his arms were crossed, his silk shirt was pulled taut against his shoulders and the long ridge of his collarbone was visible where it pressed against the other side. The hollow at the base of his throat peeked above his neckline, cast in shadow. He stood an arm's length away, now, and Katara could see that his eyes were the color of honey in the candlelight.

"…but just how honorable do you plan to be when you're in my bed, tonight?"

* * *

AN: Nye? If anybody has thoughts on the Lin/Katara interactions in this chapter, I'd be thrilled to hear them... constructive criticism rawks.

And, uh... lemons really are coming... please don't hate me too hard?


	34. Chapter 34

AN: So, first things first, I am reeeeally sorry that this chapter has been so long in coming. At first, it was busyness, then writer's block, then trouble with that devil-program Microsoft Word, then my entire laptop bit the dust... meaning that I may have lost a lot of documents over which I shall cry later... But! Thanks to public computers, my local library, and google documents, I bring you THIS! ...it's experimental.

Secondly, woah! over 65 comments on *one* chapter! My head may have exploded a little when I realized how many were racking up. Thank you, everyone for your persistence, patience, and support and, again, I am *so* sorry that it took so long for this update to arrive. I hope it was worth it - enjoy!

* * *

The sky over the Capital was clear, but in the streets the air was still heavy with the previous night's rain. The moon hung low in the eastern sky, faintly yellow and no longer perfectly round. Still, it cast the grimy alley beside the Jade Cup in slanted light, leaving Katara and Zuko an entire wall of shadow against which to hide as they watched and waited.

Scorch Street was a busy place this early in the night. Despite being so narrow and winding, it was dotted with colorful paper lanterns and many of the shops kept their doors propped open, so the scents of roasted meat and spices gusted on the occasional breeze. A variety of people strolled past the mouth of the alley; a bedraggled poet loudly reciting his work, three streetwalkers with shockingly scant clothing, a patrol of alert city guards, a large man with a tattoo of a platypus-bear taking up the whole of one arm, and even a few grubby children all passed within moments of each other.

Katara let her back fall against the cool stone wall behind her and heaved a deep, silent breath, frowning under her improvised fukumen. The damp air carried a chill to it and all this crouching and stillness had drained the heat from her limbs. Her fingers, when she rubbed them together briskly, were nearly numb to the sensation. Beside her, Zuko's body burned with its invisible fire, but the waterbender maintained the inches between their hips and shoulders.

He hadn't spoken since they had crept from his chamber. This was normal. Normally, they didn't speak much when they were out. Quiet was important. Katara knew this. Tonight, though, Zuko's silence seemed different. It was as heavy as the water in the air and lingered in the space between them like a third companion, watching and waiting as they did.

"_...but just how honorable do you plan to be when you're in my bed, tonight?"_

_For a long moment, she was too stunned to speak. Then, she swallowed, shrugged, and looked away from his measuring gaze, his faded smirk. "I... I didn't... plan... I saw a chance to get the scandal going and to make sneaking out easier and to-" She was blushing. She could feel it, hot and fast across her cheeks, her throat. "I saw a chance and I didn't see a reason to wait longer, so I took it."_

_Zuko raised his chin and frowned thoughtfully at her, his eyes narrowing to glittering slits. "Do you trust me, Katara?"_

"_What? Of course I trust you!"_

"_Are you sure?" He took a half-step closer, the candlelight casting his face in darkness._ _"Because you were pretty quick to refuse the second half of that… tea."_

With another deep breath, Katara peered past Zuko's unmoving silhouette to Scorch Street. Now was not the time to think about it.

As if sensing her desperation for distraction, a familiar face strode into view - though it took Katara a second to recognize him. His clothes were not the dark, utilitarian garb of the previous night, but a simple red tunic and a white apron with strings a bit too long for his trim waist. His hair was tied back neatly and his face was very clean. In his arms, he carried a basket of jars, all full of dried herbs of some kind - likely tea.

Chu Tan pulled up short at Zuko's sharp whistle and, after only an instant's hesitation, he glanced around the passers-by and stepped into the alley. His approach was slow but deliberate and Katara realized the instant he recognized the mask of the Blue Spirit; he stopped, half-lit by the yellow moon, and his eyes widened. He fumbled with the basket a bit, as if trying to figure out how to bow properly without dropping it, but Zuko spoke before he could come up with something.

"I trust you remember our arrangement, Chu Tan?"

The boy finally dropped the basket to the cobblestones with a clatter and fell to his knees beside it. When he spoke, his voice was a little squeaky, but also muffled by the short distance between his face and the street. "Of course, Fire Lord! I am your humble servant."

"Quiet!" Katara peered back toward Scorch Street. No one seemed to be paying any attention, but that didn't mean their attention couldn't be drawn. She frowned at Chu Tan and went on. "What's your problem, kid? Do you _want_ us to get caught? Did you know you were sending us into a trap last night?"

"What? No!" His narrow shoulders tensed and he rose enough to stare up at her, wide-eyed. "I... I did hear that there were royal guards in the Mid City last night..." Katara took a step toward him and he rushed to go on. "...but that was this morning! I had no idea there would be a trap! I was supposed to deliver the Blue Spirit to the nobleman by Ozai's Arch - that's all I knew! I swear it on my life!"

"Chu Tan, you said you didn't recognize the man who approached you... how did you know he was a noble?" At Zuko's low tone, Katara turned her analytical gaze to him. The mask betrayed nothing. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Chu Tan's face as it paled and dropped forward again. His voice was slightly muffled.

"He came in a royal palanquin, my Lord - the sort from the palace... with the Nation's insignia."

For a long moment, there was silence. Katara glanced back and forth between the other two, but neither Chu Tan's bowed back nor Zuko's rigid shoulders gave any hints as to their thoughts. Finally, she shook her head and shrugged.

"What's the big deal? Lo Wei could have used his connections to borrow a palanquin, couldn't he?"

"He was disgracefully dismissed from my service. Hau would never have allowed a palanquin to be borrowed by someone outside the palace, let alone someone in Lo Wei's position."

Katara persisted in a whisper to keep the details from Chu Tan, but she did not lean as close to the firebender as she had on other nights. "But what about Lord Bau Li? Doesn't he have his own palanquins?"

The mask turned as Zuko's gaze settled on her. She put another half-step between them. He hesitated before speaking, tone mildly impatient. "Most nobles do have their own palanquins, but they all bear house crests rather than the Fire Nation insignia."

Katara swallowed and blinked rapidly. "So... this means..." She trailed off and, after a moment, Zuko finished the thought for her.

"Lo Wei must have had an accomplice besides Bau Li. Someone inside the palace."

The alley was silent except for the distant sounds of the denizens of Scorch Street going about their business. Katara didn't hear them, though, focused as she was on drawing and releasing each breath. Lo Wei's panicky voice came back to her.

"_...He lent the troops and the money to pay off the watch..."_

But he hadn't payed for Chu Tan's services.

Someone inside the palace. Someone with power and money and, worst of all, anonymity. It had crossed Katara's mind that Lo Wei had financed the attack on her first night in the Fire Nation, until she realized that he didn't actually have the money for that. Had this unknown accomplice been behind that attempt on her life?

Zuko was talking and, after some rapid blinking, Katara began to pay attention.

"...would hunt the weasel down and squeeze it out of him, but he's half-way to the Earth Kingdom by now." He had stalked a few steps deeper into the alley and his hands were fisted and upraised in his frustration. "Stupid! I gave him the perfect excuse to flee the country."

"He really left?"

"Yes, Katara," Zuko snapped, flinging an arm out to one side. "You think he'd actually try to stay in the country after the way you threatened him last night? His name was at the top of the list of departing passengers. He is _gone_ and so is our chance at catching his accomplice!"

"Alright!" The waterbender crossed her arms over her chest, scowling at him. "But I wasn't the only one threatening, if you'll remember, and you don't have to _snarl_ at me over it. Being mad at _me_ won't fix anything."

Zuko went on staring at her for a long moment before he heaved a deep sigh and his shoulders slumped. He raised a hand, perhaps to pinch the bridge of his nose, but his fingers bumped the mask and dropped back to his side. For a long while, he didn't speak. Katara just watched him, annoyed. How could he be mad at her when he was the one who had banished Lo Wei? Was he that irrational?

_She raised her open palms at her sides, tone a bit indignant. "It was an assurance to Lin that nothing would happen – you know that."_

"_Are you sure that it wasn't an assurance to you, too?"_

"Um..." Chu Tan cleared his throat and peered up at them, but he hesitated to speak.

Now was not the time. Katara uncrossed her arms and offered him a hand. "Stand up, Chu Tan. You're getting your apron all dirty."

As if fearing a trick, the young tea server sat up and accepted her hand, rising to his feet. He tried to brush the grime from the knees of his white apron, but the moisture on the ground made the dust smear into mud. His narrow shoulders rose and fell in a sigh. "Won Chi is going to choke me."

Katara opened her mouth to offer some consolation and wise words on stain removal, but the thoughts were driven from her mind when he spoke again.

"I might be able to help you identify that nobleman... he had a pretty distinctive voice."

Zuko's head snapped up, but Katara spoke. "Distinctive in what way?"

The young man shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know... I'm not so sure how to describe it. He was old, though... and he had a real way with words."

The waterbender blinked and an image of curling gray-and-black sideburns flashed in her mind. Her lip drew up to reveal her teeth.

Zuko was nodding. "If you heard him speak again, would you recognize him?"

"Yes, Fire Lord."

"Then you won't be working in your cousin's tea shop tomorrow night."

Katara could barely hear the smirk tugging at Zuko's lips as he explained what Chu Tan would do instead of pouring tea, but the fierce excitement spreading over the archer's face was clear to be seen. She smiled beneath her fukumen; perhaps the boy was better off as a bounty hunter. Chu Tan could work all day and night in a tea shop, but his heart would always be on the hunt.

* * *

They returned to the palace early that night. In fact, it was so strangely early that there were many more people in the corridors than they had ever encountered before. Mostly, the halls were populated by servants rushing around, performing their various duties, but there were occasional groups of nobles who strolled by at a stately pace. Everyone, it seemed, was whispering.

Zuko and Katara were forced, time after time, to dodge into the narrow shadows of ornamental pillars or squeeze into nooks behind statues and potted plants. As a final close call, they had to scramble out a window and stand on the ledge outside with their backs pressed to the wind-chilled marble as Lady Lo Kang and a few other Ba Sing Se noblewomen meandered by.

"...heard those serving girls at dinner, didn't you?" It was that familiar, cultured voice, dancing between relish and boredom. Katara, who was closer to the window, bristled. Zuko's shoulder, pressed to hers, became even more noticeable. Lady Lo Kang went on, growing louder as she approached. "Apparently, the watery little harlot has won the game - or at least the first round."

"She's even simpler than she looks if she believes she can win the Fire Lady's seat just by seducing him," sighed another lyrical voice. "I'm actually rather embarrassed for the poor girl. A fool for a brother, a brute for a father, and now this... shameful lapse in judgement."

An older woman chimed in, her tone belying a shrug. "I would not be so quick to assume it was a lapse, Lady Li Wan. After all, the Fire Nation respects the power of passion and the Fire Lord is rather..." Katara could hear the smirk spreading her lips. "...young. Young men are notorious for confusing passion with love."

Lady Lo Kang's voice came next, the tiny upturning of her lips also obvious in her tone. "Oh, but if only the same could be said for her brutishly handsome father..."

The ensuing round of muffled giggles was just enough noise to cover the sound of Katara straining to leap back through the window. Zuko's grip on her elbow was sudden and firm, though, and he managed to keep her back long enough for reason to return. The warmth from the firebender's hand seeped through the fabric of her shirt and Katara became aware of the sound of his breathing, so close beside her.

The noblewomen continued down the corridor, making quietly obscene jokes, and they soon rounded a corner. Still, the waterbender remained outside the window, Zuko's hot hand on her arm. She turned her head and peered into the darkness of the mask's eyes.

"_I… Alright! Fine! It was an assurance to me, too." She crossed her arms over her chest, frowning at the floor off to her right. Shame gnawed at her. "Can we just go, now?"_

_He peered at her for a long moment, but she never looked back at him. Finally, he stalked off to his dressing room and, when he emerged, he was darkly dressed and masked._

Katara felt vulnerable under the Blue Spirit's blank stare, as if he was silently judging her for her indiscretions, as if every failure of her self-control was laid out on a block in front of him. The words of the noblewomen swirled into the mix.

"_...watery little harlot..."_

"_...shameful lapse in judgement..."_

"_...confusing passion with love..."_

Katara's stomach clenched and she looked away. Zuko's hand jerked off of her arm and the cool air immediately replaced it. He made a tiny sound, like the beginnings of speech, but the waterbender shrugged off the chill and ducked back through the window.

He followed her through the corridor like a shadow and, occasionally, she would glance back to make sure that he was still there. Catching his dark shape on the edge of her vision was both reassuring and disconcerting and she released a relieved sigh as they slipped through the concealed door into his bedchamber.

No sooner had the door whispered shut behind them, Zuko crossed his arms and began staring at her, unmoving.

Katara, with a guilty shrug, shot a glance at the bathroom. She wanted to wash the paint from her face, but the sooner she did that, the sooner she would be in bed with him... and then what would she do?

"That door doesn't lock."

She blinked and looked back at the Blue Spirit mask. He sounded almost resentful, but it was hard to tell. "Why would I want it to?"

Zuko shrugged slightly. His tone was definitely resentful, now. "I don't want you to be surprised or feel like I tricked you - if you want to, I don't know, hide or something, I mean."

Katara scoffed. "Hide? From what? Everyone knows I'm here, already." She held her arms out to both sides, shaking her head. In an undertone, she went on. "Good job, Katara..."

He was quiet again and the mask turned briefly down towards the floor before raising back up to her. "I meant from me. In case you want to hide from me."

The waterbender could only stare at him. She was vaguely aware of her face screwing up in confusion, but her mind was too blown to process more than the softening of his voice.

Zuko shifted his weight from one foot to the other, but refused to break the silence. It wasn't fair that he could just hide behind that mask and watch her flounder. It wasn't fair at all.

Finally, Katara yanked the fukumen down her chin and shoved back her hood. "What is _wrong_ with you? What in Yue's name could make you think that I would want to hide from you? And in your _bathroom_, of all places?"

"What's wrong with _me_? What about _you_?" His arms uncrossed so he could point at her as he growled. "You've made it obvious that you think I would take advantage of you."

"_What_?" She waved her arms widely. "Did we have a conversation that I don't know about or something? Did I black out? Because I don't remember saying anything like that!"

"Then explain!" His voice came through the mask as a slightly-muffled roar and his hands balled into fists, raising at his sides. "Explain why you needed to insure that nothing would happen, tonight! Explain why you don't trust me to behave honorably!"

"I _do_ trust you! _You're_ the one who doubts _my_ honor, remember?" Katara jabbed herself in the chest with a thumb before crossing her arms tightly, trying to bundle herself in. She glared off at a corner of the floor. "Not without cause, I guess, but still..."

She did not see him take off the mask, but her head whipped around when she heard him drop it on the table where her possessions were arranged. Zuko was watching her with a furrowed brow, his expression lost between confusion and frustration. When he spoke, he shook his head slowly from side to side. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Katara huffed and shrugged, looking away. "If anybody isn't trustworthy, here, it's me, Zuko. I... seduced you in an alley and jumped you in your lounge and spent the night in your bed without even asking you – and now I'm about to do it again. I mean..." Her eyes turned briefly skyward and she waved a hand in a thoughtful gesture. "I did kind of pass out, last time... but, still, I can't tell you how many times I've touched you unnecessarily or rubbed up against you or... smelled you. I don't even think about it – it just kind of happens." Katara's face was burning. She flicked her gaze up to take in Zuko's wide yellow eyes for an instant before again looking away.

"I didn't drink the contraceptive for a few reasons... What you said about Lin... and the taste... but, mostly, I didn't want to have that excuse to lose control." Taking a deep breath, she raised her chin and met his eyes. "With this whole scandal thing, I'm not entirely sure that I would be able to look people in the eye if I knew that all the stories they're telling about us were... actually true." She gripped her elbow with the opposite hand and toyed with the hip of her tunic. "I... want to keep at least a little honor, you know?"

Zuko blinked and, after a second, nodded. "Yeah. I do know." He stepped slowly towards her, watching her closely. Katara held her head high and did not move except to glance down when he came close enough to reach for the hand that hung at her side. She let him raise it before him and watched the tender lift of his brow as he peered at her subtle knuckles, her nails that needed a trim. Those yellow eyes raised again to meet hers. "I never doubted your honor, Katara. I mean..." His gaze dropped back to her hand and his good cheek reddened. "...my culture reveres passion and I haven't exactly been chaste with you, either. That's... actually why I asked what I... I mean, since you're going to be... right there... I'll be pretty tempted to... do things..."

She blinked. His hands, cupping one of hers, felt hot and damp. Katara smiled and twisted her fingers through his, slid her free hand down from her elbow to rest over his knuckles. "Me too."

Zuko's eyes shot back up to hers, then dropped to her smiling lips. His eyebrow rose up his forehead and his mouth twitched into a near-smile. "So... when you say you want to keep a little honor, how much are you talking about, exactly?"

Katara's smile widened into a smirk. "Well, we _are _engaged and it is in accord with Southern Water Tribe tradition that a couple be certain that they share attraction before the vows are spoken..."

The firebender offered a mock-offended frown and he traced a finger along the base of her palm. The tickling sensation made Katara's lips part in a tiny, startled gasp. Zuko leaned over their joined hands and whispered into her ear. "You doubt that we share a spark?"

"Of course not..." The waterbender slipped a hand up the side of his neck and held him in place as he attempted to withdraw. He yielded immediately to her light pressure and, as her fingers crept through his shagging hair, she heard him swallow. "...but there's no harm in making sure."

He stood still before her and, so close, she could smell the sweat he had worked up during the night's running. It was a warm, mildly animal smell that reminded her somewhat of the tents of her home, the intersection of wilderness with humanity. That scent called to Katara, tugged at some place behind her navel.

When she took the lobe of his ear between her lips, he grunted softly and his hands, still wrapped around one of hers, clenched and released. She traced the soft flesh with her tongue and listened closely to his elevated breathing, acutely aware of the way his skin heated against hers. Katara drew back and spoke to the space behind his ear.

"But I don't know if I'd call this a spark... it feels more like a slow boil to me."

"Actually..." Zuko had to clear his throat before going on. "...this is like a bed of embers. It takes air to bring a spark..." With that, he turned his head and breathed, hot and damp, against her neck, her jaw. The waterbender shuddered and turned her head to grant him better access and Zuko settled his mouth against her pulse in a languid kiss.

Katara swallowed and managed to gasp out words. "Point taken." Zuko seemed not to notice. His mouth trailed, soft and warm, against the tender flesh at the side of her neck. Her heavy exhales slipped into her throat but she only became aware of the low moan escaping her when Zuko answered her with a forward surge and the slide of his hands; one slipped around to the small of her back and the other, still gripping her hand, dragged up his chest to his shoulder. He planted her palm against the ridge of his collarbone before tracing her arm back to her body and trailing his fingers against her ribs on the way to her hip.

Katara squirmed and turned her head to peer at the firebender. He looked back at her with hooded eyes, once again sparkling darkly like honey from the comb. She ran her fingers through his hair, drawing it back from his pale face. Zuko dipped his chin and began leaning closer, his gaze again set on her lips.

"I need to bathe," she blurted.

He stopped, blinking, and his brow furrowed. "Right now?"

"Before bed." Katara's face reddened and she rushed on. "I won't sleep well if I don't."

"Oh..." Zuko cleared his throat and drew back slightly, though he didn't get far with her fingers tangled in his hair as they were. He frowned. "There's a basin in the bathroom... and soap... and towels."

"Yeah, that's good. Um..." The waterbender looked off to one side and bit her lip for a second, fighting a battle with herself. It was tradition among her people... but maybe it wouldn't be appealing to Zuko. He was Fire Nation royalty, after all, and she couldn't expect him to want to share every aspect of her culture, especially when she had made such a point of remaining distinct from his just hours before...

...and, oh, how embarrassing would it be if she asked and he refused?

"I guess I'll, uh... change back into my sleep clothes, then." He was still frowning at her and lifted his hands from her body, drawing further away. Katara released her grip on his hair.

"Right... yeah..."

While Zuko retreated to his dressing room again, the waterbender dug through her bag for her own sleep clothes and then scurried into the bathroom. As she was preparing to pull the door shut behind her, she paused with one hand resting on the knob. She could see her reflection dimly in the mirror over the vanity, dark in the threshold and outlined in the faint light of candles.

The blue shell beads in her braided locks glistened like her eyes in the half-light.

* * *

When Zuko pulled his sleep shirt on and tied the sash around his waist, he tugged the silk into place with the finality of a decision being made.

Honor. He would sleep beside Katara with honor. He might kiss her, perhaps touch her, but he would keep his distance, keep the fire burning low within him. He would remain under control. He would honor the trust she had for him.

He might lose his mind, but he would at least keep his honor.

Zuko took a deep breath before emerging from the dressing room, expecting to perhaps lay down and wait for Katara to finish bathing. He didn't make it two steps toward the bed before noticing that half the candles that had been arranged around the room were missing.

He stopped with his forward foot hovering when he realized where they had gone.

The waterbender had taken some candles... a lot of candles into the bathroom, as evinced by the flickering beam of light cast across the floor from that door... which stood slightly ajar.

* * *

AN: So... do any of my super-duper-smart readers have thoughts on the format of this chapter? Does it do anything for the content?

Also, updates won't be as frequent from here on, since I totally screwed up my computer and am vagabonding it for the now. XnX This makes me very, very sad and I will try to find an alternate arrangement... but we shall see...


	35. Chapter 35

AN: Woo! New chapter is brought to you by my public library - pay your taxes as a show of gratitude! Thank you, reviewers - you make my day with your support and general niceness! Hope you like this one! ;D

* * *

Zuko traced the beam of yellow light along the floor and around the door's edges with his eyes. He could hear the soft sounds of water moving on the other side, could very well imagine what sorts of wonderful things might be happening in that room, but couldn't manage to move from the spot in which he'd frozen.

Maybe she was returning the favor for last night. Maybe she was testing him to see how serious he was, how honorable _he_ planned to be. Maybe she secretly wanted him to watch her bathe... Zuko's stomach clenched and his blood began pounding at just the thought.

And maybe she'd only forgotten to shut the door.

He decided, initially, to just ignore it. He would lie down under his blankets and stare at the ceiling and try not to listen to those enticing splashes or imagine what that water might be doing. Somehow, though, between making this intelligent decision and taking the necessary steps to reach his bed, Zuko became derailed and wound up standing outside the open door, debating hotly in his own head. From where he was standing, he could not see into the room - something that he desired very much, but suspected to be in poor taste. After all, Katara might be completely unaware of the open door, absorbed in cleaning every inch of her smooth, brown flesh.

Zuko cleared his throat loudly. "Um... Katara?"

"Yes?" There was some incomprehensible undercurrent to her voice.

"Is there a reason you left the door open?"

"Yes." Her tone was definite despite her brief hesitation, but the firebender stood waiting for a long while before crossing his arms and pressing on in a low voice.

"And that reason is...?"

Again, there was a long silence and Zuko noticed now that the water sounds had stopped. He narrowed his eyes and turned his head to one side, leaning so that his ear would be closer to the door. What in Agni's name could she be doing in there? At last, her voice returned, falsely casual. "How would you like to learn a bit about the practices of my people, Zuko?"

His mind buzzed with sudden possibilities. Hadn't she mentioned something about this earlier? Something about couples sharing attraction? Were there tests for things like that? Zuko found he had pressed one palm lightly against the door. He tried to keep his tone light when he spoke. "Sure. That sounds... educational."

Katara went on in a matter-of-fact tone. There was still a sort of undercurrent to it that Zuko couldn't quite identify... was she nervous? "Among the Southern Water Tribe, men and women will sometimes share a bed without being married... It's very cold at the South Pole. You know." There was a shrug in her tone. "When a couple decides to marry, though, they often undergo a ritual of cleansing. According to our oldest mothers, they may clean all former lovers from their skin... by bathing each other."

Katara fell silent and, after taking a moment to allow this to sink in, Zuko swallowed. "You... want to..."

"I understand if you don't want to - I mean, I'm sure your people do things differently and I won't hold it against you if you want to follow your own traditions. I just-"

"You want me... to bathe you."

"...yes."

A glorious series of images was flashing through Zuko's head, mostly abstract glimpses of brown skin, steam, and slick soap. He realized he was now gripping the door, his fingers having curled around the wooden barrier. Katara could probably see them, if she was looking... he suddenly had in irrepressible urge to speak, to say anything at all that might make her look up at any part of him. To this end, his mouth fell open.

It stayed open as something soft and damp traced over his fingertips.

"...and I want to bathe you, too."

The presence on his fingers turned out to be hers - Zuko recognized them as they slid into the shallow valleys between his knuckles.

"Zuko?" That subtle something in her voice was stronger, now. She sounded very... unsure.

The firebender closed his mouth and twisted his hand around to trail the tips of his fingers through her damp palm. "I like the sound of this tradition," he purred against the door.

Her fingers wove tightly through his and Zuko smiled in the instant before the door smacked against his face. The impact, mainly against his forehead, was accompanied by a low, resonant 'thump,' and sent him reeling back a step, clutching his injured face with his free hand.

He became aware of Katara's fingers still gripping his own and, after a moment, the surprise in her voice registered. "Oh, Yue! I'm so sorry, Zuko! I didn't know you were standing right - well, I mean, I knew, but I thought you..."

It became apparent to Zuko that, somehow, the door had been removed from between them - he could tell because she was both still gripping his hand and pawing at his face. He opened one resistant eye to glare at her, but forgot to be angry when he noticed that she was in her underwear, inches away from him. In fact, she was so close that he could see some beads of water along her shoulder, sparkling in the candlelight.

Katara didn't seem to notice this. "Come on, Zuko - just let me see it..." She tugged at his fingers and the firebender gave in, letting her peel his hand from his face. Focused as she was on his forehead, she also didn't seem to notice when his hand settled onto the bare expanse of her brown shoulder. Her skin was so smooth and cool against his own hot hand - like a balm, like water - and her collarbone felt almost delicate where it jutted out against his thumb. Her chest rhythmically rose and fell under the heel of his palm and, in this flickering low light, her blue eyes seemed almost to glow.

As she prodded at his forehead, Katara's brow furrowed and her mouth turned downward slightly. "Oh, this won't even make a lump."

Zuko raised his brow and inquired in a low, dry tone, "You're disappointed that you failed to leave your mark?"

"No..." She blinked and an amused smile spread slowly over her face as she met his gaze at last. Her hand lowered to cup his scarred cheek. "I was just surprised to find my husband-to-be was so sensitive to blows to the head."

Zuko found, oddly, that he liked hearing her refer to him as her intended. He trailed his thumb against the ridge of her collarbone lightly and leaned his head into her touch. Didn't Uncle have a saying about this sort of situation? Wouldn't Katara be impressed if he quoted something clever right now? "'The blows of our enemies are nothing beside the pains inflicted by those we lo-'" he blinked, eyes widening. "Like... a lot."

He could tell that Katara had caught his slip as well; she was staring up at him, the rise and fall of her chest quickening against his palm. Finally, she spoke. "I guess I should be more careful with the one I... like, a lot."

Zuko swallowed, but didn't look away. Instead, he pulled their still-joined hands up and placed a light kiss against the firm tendons striping the back of her hand. "Be sure that you do," he murmured with a smirk that swiftly faded. He had spoken a Fire Lord's response, formal and superior, and though Zuko was sure that Lin would approve, it didn't feel complete directed at Katara. "...please."

Her smile, when she smiled again, was amused and she spoke softly as she stroked the ridged flesh of his face. "You should take off your clothes."

His eyes widened and, for a second, he forgot about breathing.

Seeming to realize what she had said, the waterbender's face reddened and she rushed on. "I mean, so I can bathe you. Tradition. It's tradition. Both clothes - er, partners take off their own clothes. So it's mutual. Ah..." Katara blinked and looked away, perhaps a little panic rising in her bulging eyes.

At that moment, Zuko had what could only be called an epiphany; if Katara led the way, he could simply sit back and follow. No overstepping her boundaries accidentally, no uncertain broaching of a sticky subject.

He smiled, relaxed, and tugged his hand from hers to begin slowly untying his sash. Katara's eyes followed their progress, widening slightly as the silk slithered to the floor. Emphasizing every gesture, Zuko opened his shirt and flexed the muscles of his torso perhaps a bit more than was necessary under her gaze before letting the garment fall away as well. His hands were surprisingly steady as he picked apart the knot holding his pants in place.

The blush now spreading over her cheeks and throat was so lovely against the brown of her skin - like cherry stain on fine hickory. Zuko swallowed. His sleep pants were a bit tented as it was - how much more obvious would his reaction to her be when he stood before her in only his underwear?

He took a deep breath and reminded himself that she was a healer, that she had asked for this, and that she had seen him in more embarrassing situations, anyway. Then, he let his silk pants drop to pool around his ankles and stood before her in just the cotton loincloth most Fire Nation men wore beneath their clothing. As expected, the bulge of his half-erect organ was very noticeable...

...and Katara had clearly noticed. Her face had grown a bit redder still and her eyes were locked on his groin - a fact that didn't help Zuko to distract himself. In fact, quite the contrary, he felt the blood surge downward and, under her intense gaze, he only hardened further.

Her lips parted as if in preparation for speech and, in response, the muscles of his organ flexed spasmodically. Katara's head tilted to one side and for an instant, she seemed on the verge of asking what would probably turn out to be an incredibly embarrassing question. Thankfully, she took in his tense expression and his own hot cheek and seemed to think better of it. She cleared her throat and peered off at a corner of the floor.

"Sorry, Zuko... I didn't mean to stare. I just haven't... actually seen a grown man... this way, before."

"Oh." The firebender rubbed the back of his neck, at once thrilled and nervous. "It's okay... I mean... if you want to look. I don't mind... Actually..." He peered down at the floor before him and permitted himself a brief smirk. "...I think you know how much I like it when you look at me..."

When he chanced a glimpse back at her, Katara looked surprised and seemed to be breathing harder. For a long moment, she met his eyes. Then, her gaze slid down his nearly-naked body and she leaned forward, reaching out with one hand. Zuko swallowed, watching. He was torn between laughing and crying when she grasped his hand from beside his hip and tugged him into the bathroom.

He almost tripped over the silk at his feet, but managed to stagger after her.

There were candles everywhere and their light made the Water Tribe woman's skin glow like aged bronze. Zuko noticed now that her hair was out of its bun and had fluffed out behind her in a mass of bushy curls. When she looked back at him, smiling, his eyes traced down the graceful sweep of her throat to the unblemished skin of her chest, then to the white layers of her bindings. It wasn't really the fabric itself, but the subtle swells beneath it that really grabbed his attention. Realizing that he was staring, he tightened his jaw and returned his gaze to Katara's thoughtful face.

She tugged her hand from his.

"Katara, I..." Zuko cut off as quickly as he had begun, eyes glued to the dusky hand that she lifted to a subtly-tucked end.

The knot didn't make any sense at all; it was flat and concealed and, with just a tug, it released Katara's orderly bindings into no more than a bunch of loose strips of cloth that draped tantalizingly across the suddenly-visible mounds of her breasts and looped down, around her back and belly.

He was still for a long time, just staring at this fascinating new flesh. At first, Katara's breasts were conical and the darker flesh of her aureoles formed soft points. But, before his eyes, her nipples hardened and the entire shape of her breasts changed, rounding out to accommodate the puckered flesh.

Zuko wasn't sure how long he stared before Katara became uncomfortable. She crossed her arms and shrugged her shoulders, murmuring something about the room being cold.

The firebender blinked and tore his eyes from the supple flesh that yielded against her arms and jiggled enticingly with the motion of her shoulders. She was blushing hotter than ever, now, and peered at him with her chin tipped slightly downward. Zuko cleared his throat and looked at the safe floor between them.

"I'll warm it up."

His body was already radiating heat and all of the candles were flaring a bit higher than was normal, so it was surprising that Katara would find the room cold... but Zuko wasn't about to argue with her. The firebender took a deep breath, shut his eyes for the sake of concentration, and exhaled two plumes of hot air from his nostrils.

"Thanks - that's a pretty neat trick," Katara murmured. When he opened his eyes, Zuko found her standing by the basin and pitcher on the other end of the small room, her arms still loosely folded, but her bindings strung across the floor. He trained his eyes on her face and tried not to wonder how fast she had scrambled to put that distance between them. Should he apologize for staring? Hadn't she wanted him to look? Maybe he had looked too long. Maybe he should apologize.

All Zuko managed to say, though, was a quiet "You're welcome."

With a weak smile, Katara turned toward the vanity and, with a wave of her hand, lifted a stream of water from the pitcher. As it swirled slowly into a sphere before her, she looked up at his reflection in the mirror. "Come here," she said in a tone more closely-related to request than command.

Zuko forced himself to walk slowly across the room, careful not to trip on her bindings or break eye-contact with her reflection. He stopped some feet away from her.

Katara shook her head. "Closer."

He took a step closer. The waterbender's wide blue eyes did not waver as she shook her head again.

After a moment's hesitation, Zuko stepped up behind Katara, close enough that he could almost feel the heat of her naked back against his chest, but not quite close enough for her to feel the hard ridge of the erection trapped under his loincloth.

Still watching him in the mirror, Katara smiled. "Will you heat this water for me?"

Zuko slowly reached around her with one arm and, opening his palm below the ball of liquid, summoned his fire. His eyes still met the waterbender's as, before them, the flame lapped at the water, glimmering brightly against the liquid and the mirror. They remained that way for several long moments, watching each other, listening to each other's breathing. Tiny bubbles began forming within the water and Zuko withdrew his flame, exhaling as the fire settled again within him.

...mostly.

Katara, meanwhile, was moving and shifting, lifting some more cool water from the pitcher to swirl together with the hot water. Then, she settled her element into the empty basin, sank a wash towel below the surface, and lifted it, squeezing the excess water out in a long stream. The splash of it returning to the basin was like subtle music. Zuko couldn't help but watch the waterbender's smooth motions, couldn't stop his eyes' glide over the bare stretch of flesh over her shoulders. His gaze wandered again to her breasts as they pressed together when she raised the cloth, rubbed it with soap.

Katara caught him off-guard when she turned around to face him and grabbed his hand from his side, stuffing the cloth into his palm. Warm, soapy water dripped between his fingers. "Wash me." This time, it sounded more like a command. Her eyes reinforced that impression as she stared challengingly back at him.

In any other situation, Zuko may have contested being bossed around this way. As it was, though, washing her was an excellent excuse to touch her... and he very much wanted to touch her. "Close your eyes." He smirked. "I wouldn't want to get soap in them..."

She stared at him a moment longer before obeying, holding her head high and her face upturned toward him. Zuko looked down at her for a long moment - at her thick lashes and the curve of her lips - before finally giving in to the urge and lightly pressing his mouth to hers. Her eyes popped open, but she didn't pull away.

When he drew back, Katara blinked up at him. "What was that for?"

He shrugged and glanced away. "I just... you're beautiful. That's all."

The waterbender smiled wonderingly and slowly raised her hands to lay flat against his chest. An instant later, she stepped a little closer to him, pressing the full length of her torso against his. Her skin was cool against his and being in contact with so much of it was like swimming in the sea. For that first, shocking second, the firebender just floated.

Then Zuko's face heated as he realized she was pressed not just against his chest and belly, but against the bulge of his arousal. He slid a foot back and began to angle his hips away from her, until he noticed Katara's reaction; her smile faded and her brow furrowed. "Why are you pulling away from me?"

"I thought we were supposed to be undergoing a... ritual cleansing or something. It seemed... I don't know... disrespectful to your tradition to..." He shrugged, but she just stared at him until he finished the sentence. "It seemed disrespectful to be pressed up against you when this is supposed to be a purification."

Katara laughed softly and Zuko found her breasts pressing rhythmically against his chest. He pinched his eyes shut, suppressing a groan, but couldn't stop his empty hand from sliding onto her hip. It slid into that perfect spot he had discovered that first night they kissed, that place that seemed made for his hand.

"Zuko..." Her palms were on his face, cool and soft. He looked into her gentle smile and her eyes seemed to be opened up to him in offering. "It's less about purification and more about letting go of the past... and focusing on the present and the future." She swallowed, shrugging a little. "...and my people generally don't bathe in their underwear, anyway."

Zuko paused a beat before quirking his brow at her. "Then why are you still wearing yours?"

Katara smirked and ran her fingers back through his hair. "You reacted so strongly to seeing me topless... I didn't want to make you faint."

"Oh, I'm far from fainting, waterbender... but since you're probably shy, I guess I'll volunteer to go first..."

He grinned inwardly as her expression darkened and she jabbed him in the chest with one finger. "You think I'm shy? I'm not shy!"

"Care to prove that claim?"

Katara jabbed him in the chest one more time before taking a step back. "Same time, then. Unless _you're_ shy, turtle-duck."

In answer, the firebender narrowed his eyes, smirked, and untied the drawstring of his loincloth, letting the garment drop unceremoniously to the floor. The expression on her face was one Zuko would cherish for years to come - the stretch of her eyes as they shot immediately to his bobbing erection, the tiny parting of her mouth, as if there were words she had forgotten.

Zuko's lips curled upward into a full grin and his chin lowered slightly as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You're obviously the shy one, Katara. You didn't even uphold your part of the deal."

Her jaw dropped and her eyes flashed back to his. "Only because you're a rotten cheater and took a head start! Besides," she sniffed haughtily, half-turning away as she reached for the concealed loose end of a binding on her thigh. "My underclothes are more complicated than yours."

The firebender couldn't argue. In fact, he couldn't do more than watch as she slowly shifted the overhanging part of her undergarment aside and slid her fingers up her inner thigh to the tied-off end. The knot came loose easily and the bindings fell away in loose coils, along with the main length of fabric, which slipped from between her legs as Katara shimmied her hips slightly, sliding her hands down the generous curves to urge the cloth onward. Her pubic hair looked soft and curly and contrasted darkly against the flesh of her round hips, her thick thighs. Zuko swallowed.

Katara smirked and planted a hand on her naked hip. "Getting dizzy, turtle-duck?"

He met her eyes again and, after a brief hesitation, smirked back. "You know, I think I might be. Care to help hold me up?" The firebender held his arms open for her.

She stepped into them without pausing and slid her arms around his neck. Her eyes widened slightly and he could hear the tiny huff of her breath as his fully-erect organ slid against the soft flesh of her abdomen. Zuko shuddered and gave a tiny groan and his hands, one still gripping the soggy wash rag, settled again onto her hips. The sensation of his cock being pinned against her naked belly was maddening. He was a little shocked by the intensity of his desire to rub against her, to sink into her, to submerge.

"You're not doing your job," Katara murmured after a while, sounding a little breathless.

Zuko swallowed, mind buzzing and barely settling on solid thoughts. His voice was a bit gravelly when he finally managed to speak. "Which job?"

Her teeth flashed in a brief grin. "How many are there?"

"Lots..." He slowly lowered his head and nuzzled along the ridge of her jaw, smelling her heady sweat. "I'm supposed to be... running a country and cleaning up corruption... and making peace with other nations... and spreading filthy rumors about what we do in private..." He breathed hotly against her neck, making her squirm against him deliciously. He growled as he went on. "Ohh... and I'm supposed to be conceiving an heir with you and marrying you... but not in that order." With a final huff against her ear, he drew back, again looking at her. Her eyes were hooded, her mouth was open slightly. Zuko found himself leaning very close to her lips and spoke softly to her chin. "Which job did you mean?"

Katara blinked and cleared her throat. "I, uh... I meant bathing me. You're supposed to be bathing me."

Zuko grinned loosely. "Oh yeah. That."

The cloth was hot and dripping still in his hand and he wrapped it over his fingertips before raising it toward the waterbender's lovely, upturned face. Before laying the cloth to her skin, though, Zuko hesitated, peering into her blue eyes, and pressed his lips to hers. Her arms tightened around his neck and she leaned her body more firmly against his, groaning into his mouth.

Despite the slow roving of both of his hands, Zuko's efforts at washing Katara were far from successful. After a few moments, her back, one shoulder, and one side of her face were all slick with soap from the wash towel, but the rest of her was neglected. The firebender was also losing what little focus he had had to begin with.

Finally, he pulled his mouth from hers and gasped, "Katara, do you feel clean yet? Because... I'm not so sure I can- uhn..." She shifted against him and his words were lost in a soft grunt.

Katara laid a line of kisses down his throat and then spoke against his collarbone. "I guess I could make this easier for both of us... Hold still."

Zuko, with one hand planted against her ribcage just beneath the swell of her breast and his other hand scrubbing soft circles on her hip, really tried. It seemed impossible for him to actually stop the slow motions of his hands, but that didn't seem to matter. Katara began moving against him in a tight, contained version of waterbending and Zuko found himself surrounded by whirling streams of water. He closed his eyes as the they lapped at him, cool and fast. They trailed down his spine, spiraled up his legs, slipped impossibly between his skin and hers... It was like a series of small, quick tongues and, with the bender gyrating against him, Zuko had to drop his face into Katara's hair, panting at the maddening combination of sensations.

Finally, it stopped. For a long while, he remained still, face still resting in her soft, bushy hair as he gathered his wits and slowed his breathing. Katara's arms came around him and her hands settled lightly against his shoulder blades. Her voice was gentle when she spoke. "Zuko? Are you alright?"

He swallowed and withdrew his face from her hair to stand up straight, but all it took was an instant's glimpse of her sparkling blue eyes to shatter his self-control. Zuko laid his mouth against Katara's and, with a deep groan, pressed her back against the nearest wall.

* * *

AN: As with all other parts of this story, any feedback on hawtness is much appreciated.

...also... ahhhh... It feels so good to get to Naked Time, at last...


	36. Chapter 36

AN: First off, let me say that I am really, really, **really** sorry that this chapter is so long in coming. If you want something to curse, curse holidays and career-related obligations and my deep discomfort with writing this chapter in public... and Zelda, Twilight Princess (Hyrule doesn't save itself, you know...) and maybe the difficulty I had getting back into the swing of this story. I had to reread a lot of chapters to get back on top of this thing. Now, though, I'm pumped. The end is in sight.

Secondly, my computer is fixed because my roommate is awesome and awesomely fixed it. Thanks, awesome roommate!

Thirdly, for the ninety-five reviews left on the last chapter, thankyouthankyouthankyou and I am **so** sorry... I owe you all better than two months of silence. Thank you to Tsuyoi for the positive reinforcement! Thanks to Cutegenius for a very valid point! Sorry to k-kwadrat about your chair... And, finally, THANKS to moviefan-92 for correcting my definition of 'lemons' - and, since the popular definition of sex is not necessarily restricted to the heterosexual act of intercourse, does **this** count? ;D

Now, please enjoy your extra-long, extra-smutty new chapter and remember that I love you!

* * *

Katara's eyes shot wide open when her back hit the wall as, for an instant, she was filled to bursting with remembered fear. Her vision, though, of two very different sides of the same face blurring together at so short a distance, immediately calmed her. It was something in the landscape of his scar, the rippling flesh, the twisted eye - she could get lost there.

Zuko. He would respect her desire for honor. He wouldn't go too far.

His kisses were enthusiastic and thrummed through Katara's throat like a silent song and she found her fingers tangling in his hair, gripping his smooth shoulder close, closer. Everything about him was heat and flickering. His hands were splayed against her ribcage and slid around her body until his thumbs lightly stroked the undersides of her breasts. His hardness pressed against the soft flesh of her abdomen and it was easier than she had ever thought it might be to imagine that velvety shaft entering her body.

In the back of her mind, Katara counted the steps it would take to get him inside of her. Physical steps, simple motions - a bend of the knees, a tilt of the pelvis. The fantasy made her inner muscles clench and, with a groan, she slid her palms down his arms to his unmoving hands.

Zuko's yellow eyes opened and, drawing back a bit, he blinked down at her as she guided his palms up against her flesh, following the contours of her breasts. His gaze broke from hers and he began again to stare at her chest.

His intense gaze had made Katara feel awkward and uncertain before - more because she couldn't tell what he was thinking than because she didn't like the feeling of his eyes on her. Now, though, she could see him breathing through his mouth, could see his eyes flaring with heat like two embers being blown on.

She slipped her hands up his arms and traced the insides of his elbows with her thumbs as his fingers spread across her breasts, hesitantly exploring. Zuko was gentle, almost surprisingly so after that initial burst of motion, and his eyes flicked up to hers occasionally as he massaged her chest. Katara's nipples hardened against his palms and, yellow eyes a bit wondering, he traced one of her wrinkled aureoles with a single fingertip, spiraling closer to her nipple until his fingernail lightly scraped the tip of the fleshy protrusion.

"Ah!" Katara shuddered, one of her knees jerking oddly out to the side.

Zuko's hands jerked away from her. "Agni - sorry, Katara! I didn't mean to scratch-"

"Do it again," she breathed. When the firebender didn't move, she dragged his hands back to her and pressed them firmly against her skin. "Please, Zuko. Do it again."

He lowered his chin and watched her intently as he repeated the motion and Katara, caught between the sensation and his penetrating yellow gaze, gasped. Her head dropped back against the wall and her mouth fell open. Zuko, seeming to gain some confidence, went on lightly toying with her nipples and Katara's hands lowered from his elbows to the pale flesh of his sides, her fingertips absentmindedly tracing the subtle ridges of his ribs.

"Stop that," he murmured, lips curling downward in a frown. His hands stilled.

Katara blinked, a little dazed. "What?"

"What you're doing with your fingers. Stop it."

The waterbender, brow furrowing, stopped. Zuko immediately relaxed and resumed the pleasant stroking of his own hands. With a sigh of mixed pleasure and resignation, Katara drummed her fingers against his sides. "Why?"

He was quiet for a long while and peered thoughtfully at her breasts instead of her eyes. The waterbender raised an annoyed brow and lightly stroked down his ribs with the fingertips of one hand. Zuko tensed and his frown returned, as did his focus on her face. He caught her hand in his lightly, stilling it. "I just don't like... tickling, okay?"

"You're... ticklish." She couldn't keep the note of incredulity from her voice.

Zuko scowled. "I am _not_ ticklish. I just don't like sensations that... tickle."

Katara grinned. "Right... Okay, I'll try not to tickle His Majesty..." The firebender's scowl deepened. She went on, tone more serious. "...but I do want to touch you. How... How do you like to be touched?"

He blinked and his expression gentled a bit. His eyes flicked down, then quickly off to one side. "Um... I don't know. Harder, I guess. Not so light and teasing."

"Like this?" She flattened her palms against his skin and slid them up his chest, over his flat nipples and the slightly upraised planes of his pectorals.

He gave her a little smile and, lightly, his fingers went back to work on her flesh. "That's good."

Zuko experimentally rolled her nipples between his fingers and thumbs and Katara tensed at the new sensation, fingers curling claw-like against his chest as she gasped. He coughed out a surprised grunt and his hips rocked firmly against her once before he seemed to return to himself a bit.

They blinked at each other for a second before Zuko looked down at her blunt nails, still pressed against his chest. He cleared his throat. "Yeah... that's good, too."

Katara smirked and slid her arms around his back as he leaned in to kiss her again. His lips slanted against hers in a slick slide and she pulled him closer, trapping his hands between them. He groaned into her mouth and, again, his hips pressed against her, digging his erection into the softness of her belly. It wasn't entirely comfortable, but there was something maddening about the contact, something that made the waterbender want to hitch up her leg and meet him properly.

Her eyes popped open and she broke the kiss, breathing hard. "Zuko, this is... I don't know if it's a good idea for us to go on like this..." Katara peered up into his concerned eyes, his reddened lips. Her voice was a bit huskier than usual. "I'm starting to... get really stupid ideas."

Zuko snorted out a quiet laugh.

She frowned, eyes narrowing. "Funny?"

He shook his head and quieted, then smiled down at her for a moment. That smile faded under her stern gaze and the firebender cleared his throat. "Katara... would you like... um..." He frowned and again glanced off to one side. "Would you like to learn one of the practices of my people?"

The waterbender blinked, a bit blown by the apparent change in subject, and then nodded. "Of course."

A tiny smirk tugged at Zuko's lips. "I should warn you that it's... very intimate."

"Well..." Katara swallowed. "...as long as I don't need more of that foul tea, I don't think that will be a problem."

His gaze sharpened for an instant before he nodded. "You won't." His voice was a purr as he leaned down to lay a soft kiss on her lips. The waterbender wasn't certain, but she thought he might be able to convince her of anything with that tone. His mouth trailed from hers, dotting the skin down her throat with hot kisses and puffs of steamy breath. Katara's head dropped back and she felt his hands gently returning to tug and twirl her nipples.

She cried out when his mouth replaced one hand and looked down into his simmering yellow eyes. Her entire aureole had disappeared into his soft mouth and she could feel the quick flick of his tongue against her hardened nub. Her hips surged forward against him and her hands glided down his bent back, coming to a stop against the base of his spine. Zuko's knees were slightly bent so that he could reach her chest with his mouth and his erection throbbed now against her upper thigh.

Katara was not exactly conscious of deciding to slide her hand around his hip, to trace the borderline where their flesh met with one finger. She wasn't sure if Zuko was aware of drawing his hips back at that subtle hint, either, but when her fingertips lightly slid over the silky flesh of his organ, they were both very aware of the contact.

Zuko's tongue stopped moving and his mouth drew back slightly from her breast. He peered up at her, breathing hard against her damp skin. Katara swallowed again and, after a second's hesitation, curled her fingers around the rigid shaft.

The firebender grunted and his eyes fluttered shut. In her hand, the organ twitched oddly. Fascinated by the resistance, the hardness of this flesh, Katara squeezed.

Zuko's reaction was instant. His hand shot down to grip hers and he looked up at her, yellow eyes perhaps a little desperate. "Katara..." His voice was low, nearly a growl, but he trailed off while glancing back and forth between her eyes and lips, seeming to forget that he had been speaking.

She licked her lips. His eyes followed the motion hungrily. "Did I... tickle you again?"

Zuko blinked. His shoulders were heaving with his breath and his jaw tipped forward. His voice was a growl. "Didn't I tell you? Harder." He squeezed his hand around hers around his erection.

Taking the unsubtle hint, Katara squeezed harder. Zuko groaned and his hips pressed forward, driving his hot flesh through her tight grip. He stopped as the top of her fist came to rest in the downy thatch of hair between his legs and, gritting his teeth, gazed at her intensely.

"This is not helping me focus, Katara."

"You need to focus?"

"I need to not come on your thigh..." He removed his hand from hers, trailing the backs of his knuckles against the soft flesh of her leg. His lips curled upward slightly. "... though it is a very nice thigh."

She smiled at him, and lightened her grip. "Later?"

Zuko stared at her for a second before letting his forehead drop against her chest. "Yes. Agni, yes."

Katara slid her hand along his length, taking a final second to marvel at the unique silkiness of this skin and the unfamiliar yet enticing shape against her palm before letting go.

The firebender sighed and looked back up at her, a smirk spreading across his face. "Until then..." He placed a kiss against her sternum, then another just above her navel. He knelt before her. "...it's my turn."

Katara's brow furrowed as she peered down at him. He was planting a hot, wet kiss against the flesh over the joining of her hip and thigh and the sensation was a little dizzying, but her mind still whirred. She had some inkling of what he might be planning to do - her sister-in-law was a Kyoshi Warrior, after all - but she found herself unsure of how she felt about it. Instead of speaking, she slid her fingers into Zuko's shagging hair and pulled it back from his face until he looked up at her.

His eyes were at first hooded, gleaming and golden with desire and candlelight, but he quickly took in her hesitance and withdrew his mouth from her skin. His lips were thickened by so much kissing, but Zuko spoke very clearly. "Tell me to stop and I will."

Katara smiled and raked her nails over his scalp. His eyes shut and his chin rested lightly against her abdomen until he heard her speak again.

"Don't stop."

Peering up at her, he caught one of her hands in his and pressed a kiss to her palm before returning his attention to her hip. His hand slid down the outside of her thigh to the back of her knee and his mouth latched momentarily to her other hip, tracing the seam of her leg. Katara gasped as his fingers trailed tiny circles against the tender flesh at the back of her knee and she yielded immediately as he tugged her leg up to hook over his shoulder.

"Lean back," he murmured, breath steaming into her pubic hair. The words were unnecessary, as the waterbender's shoulder blades were already pressed to the wall, but the sound of his voice and the heat of his breathing made her squirm and sigh. Zuko's free hand crept up her other leg - warming her ankle, her shin, her knee - as he laid slow kisses on her inner thigh.

Katara, feeling a bit wobbly, braced one hand on a nearby towel rack and burrowed her other hand deeper in the firebender's hair. She was watching him, the pale contrast of his skin against hers, the dark dash of his brow lowered over one glittering eye. With the same hand that had lifted her leg, Zuko lightly traced one side of her bottom where it pressed to the wall before dragging his fingers down to a sensitive spot that made the waterbender hop up on the ball of her foot.

She met his questioning glance and smiled with her parted lips. "Don't stop."

Zuko cupped her mound with firm fingers, smirking against her inner thigh as she shuddered and tightened her grip on the towel rack. Gently, he parted her down-covered lips, baring the slick folds of her flesh to the cool air, to his hot breath. Katara stared down at him, meeting his unflinching yellow gaze as he opened his mouth and laid a hot, wet kiss on that explosive place, what Healers called the Pearl.

"Ooh..." The thick muscles of her thighs flexed to spread that surge of heat. Her head tilted back, her eyes shut, and her mouth hung open, emitting soft gasps and pants as the firebender's tongue swirled, slick and maddening against her. Her hand clenched around the tuft of hair that she had been stroking until Katara realized she might be hurting him.

_...should be more careful with the one I..._

Though she went on gripping the towel rack as if for dear life, the waterbender released her other hand and worked her nails lightly against Zuko's scalp. She looked back down in time to see his eyes flutter shut. Then, he groaned against her sensitized flesh, a low rumble that quaked and scorched through her, and Katara, gritting her teeth, ground down against his hand, his mouth.

"Zuko..." She bit her lip against the words, but went on again in the next breath as she met his eyes. "I... I need more... please."

Mouth still occupied, the firebender slid a slow finger against her slick inner lips, toying briefly with that flesh before seeking, seeking some deeper contact. He found it.

"Oh Yue! Yes!" Katara's back bowed out from the wall as his digit sank into her body, the sensation of something _other_ entering this place that was hers, hers and no one else's, only heightening her arousal. Her own fingers ran restlessly through his hair and she ground downward as she felt his knuckle press against her outer lips. Zuko began to slowly withdraw his finger and Katara, with a grunt of protest, clamped her inner muscles against him. His finger still easily slid free, but the firebender's mouth stopped its delicious movements as he peered up at her, wide-eyed. His hesitation lasted only for a surprised instant before he set his mouth back to work and sank his finger a little harder into her aching depths.

Head once more falling back, Katara felt the familiar building-up inside her, that rushing wave seeking its crest, but she couldn't quite tip over. The friction of Zuko's finger gliding in and out of her slick, surging channel was wonderful, but he wasn't hitting that perfect spot. She peered down at him again, thinking to perhaps offer some guidance...

...and that was when she saw what the firebender was doing with his free hand.

He knelt before her and, at the apex of his bent legs, his fist pumped slowly up and down the length of his shaft, twisting slightly against the blood-darkened head before sinking down again.

The wave crashed home, sizzling through Katara's extremities and dragging a hoarse cry from her throat.

As she settled, panting, Katara realized she had lost her grip on the towel rack and was pinned between the wall and the kneeling firebender, the one leg she had been standing on having crumpled. Still breathing heavily, she peered down at Zuko's upraised face, his slick chin, his arrogant smirk. His hand was still lightly stroking his organ. The waterbender straightened and lowered her other leg to the floor, though she kept her grip on his hair.

He released himself, but clearly didn't have the grace to look embarrassed. Rather, his face split into a grin. "Do the practices of my people... please you?"

Katara licked her lips and narrowed her eyes, tugging lightly upward on his hair. Zuko braced his arms on the wall to either side of her and slowly rose to his feet. As soon as he was level with her face, the waterbender snaked her free arm around his torso and pulled him into a fierce kiss. Tasting herself on his hot, wet lips was thrilling and she couldn't help but press herself against him, cradle the back of his neck to draw him closer.

Zuko responded immediately, wrapping his own arms around her and settling his shockingly hot organ firmly against her belly. When Katara dragged her blunt nails down his back to the soft flesh of his bottom, he broke the kiss to allow his gasping breath and pressed his hips against her in a slow, hard grind. She gripped his buttock, savoring the press of his body, the flex of his muscles.

His eyes opened and he examined her smirking face before growling, "Well, aren't you getting fierce..." He dragged his steamy palms down her back and bent slightly to cup them beneath the cheeks of her bottom, lifting her against him and again pressing her back to the wall. All the while, he pinned her in place with those sharp yellow eyes.

On instinct, Katara hitched up her legs and wrapped them around him, her heels wedging against the backs of his thighs. His erection was now trapped, hot and obvious, against her mound and the base of her abdomen, but she felt oddly unafraid of this dangerous proximity, this intense temptation. Instead of protesting, she twirled her fingers through the hair on the back of his head and smirked all the wider. "I've always been fierce." She tugged his head down to hers, gazing into his piercing stare as she laid a tender kiss on the corner of his mouth. "Take me to bed, Zuko. It's my turn, now."

He stared into her eyes for another second before meeting her lips with his own and Katara, fingers clenching against his neck, returned the kiss eagerly. She was only really half-aware of the movement as he pushed away from the wall and began an awkward half-stagger across the bathroom.

Occupied as they were, both grunted when Zuko bumped her into the door frame on the way out. The impact did nothing to diminish the steady roll of their kiss, though.

Katara only realized that they had made it to the bed when the firebender removed one hand from her backside to brace himself on the mattress as he lowered her to her back and came down above her, his chest covering hers like a hot, firm blanket. His lips became more demanding as he settled, braced on his elbows with his hands sinking into her hair. There was a sensation sparkling between the heat of his belly against hers and his weight grounding her to the bed – as if she might float away without his anchoring body, his binding mouth.

"Mmf..." After a moment more, the waterbender turned her head to break the kiss and gave his lower back a brief, vigorous rub. "Hey, my turn."

Zuko blinked down at her for a confused second before drawing back, his good cheek going just a bit red. "Oh. Right."

Katara watched the muscles of his body flex as he drew himself off of her and sat to one side on the enormous bed. Catching her staring, Zuko smirked and leaned back on his elbows, stretching one leg out before him and bending his other knee, a pose that seemed strategically planned draw the waterbender's gaze to his swollen organ.

And Katara finally stopped resisting. With her eyes, she traced the length of it where it rested against his belly, the skin dark with surging blood. It was strange to look on this flesh that was utterly alien to her and find that she was compelled to touch it.

…At the same time, though, it seemed oddly improper to just reach out and make free.

She must have stared for a long while, because Zuko began fidgeting under her gaze. When he cleared his throat, his organ jerked oddly. "Um… You don't have to… if you don't want to."

Her eyes cast back up the pale span of Fire Nation chest, ridged with muscle and dotted with scars – especially the star-shaped blast mark that blossomed in the middle – and met Zuko's gaze. The smirk had faded from his face and he seemed awkward, unsure. His unscarred cheek was mildly pink. "I mean, since you haven't, you know, done any of this before… I won't hold it against you if you don't feel comfortable with… it."

Katara raised a wry brow and cast him a mild smirk. "Trust me, Zuko. If I didn't want to, I wouldn't."

The blush had already faded from his skin. His lips quirked in amusement. "Right. Duty according to the Southern Water Tribe…"

"Exactly. According to the Southern Water Tribe…" Katara's smirk deepened and she began a slow crawl toward him. She was close enough to catch his hitch in breathing, the slackening of his jaw as he watched her. In her mind, she pictured herself an arctic tiger-bear stalking its prey. "…it should not be my _duty_ to please you," she said, her voice both a growl and a purr, as she lay down inches from his side. "Nor for you to please me. Rather…" She raised one dusky hand and passed it over the flesh of his belly, just close enough to feel his heat. "…it should be my _pleasure_ to please you… and yours to please me."

Zuko spoke through already-parted lips, his voice a little softer than usual. His eyes had a molten sheen like nothing so much as the glimmering layer of oil that always topped her grandmother's turtle-seal soup. "The- the ways of your people are… most agreeable."

Katara came closer, sliding her fingertips firmly up the ridges and planes of his chest and following the long tendon up from his collarbone to the tender skin behind his ear. She placed a delicate kiss on his scarred cheek, the flesh stiff and glossy against her lips, and then bowed her head slightly to kiss the hard line of his jaw. It was suddenly as if his skin was magnetic; it drew and drew on her mouth until she again came upon his lips, still thickened from their kissing and parted, waiting for her.

The waterbender slung an arm behind the firebender's head and bore him to his pillows, her lips locked against his in a hot, wet slide of flesh. Zuko's arms curled around her and his hands burrowed in her hair, stroking up her back and neck. Laying half on top of him as she was, Katara quickly became very aware of the velvety heat of his organ brushing against her hip. She began sliding her palm down his throat, down his chest. Under the slow sweep of her hand, his nipple hardened, his torso expanded and collapsed with his breathing. His belly was at first soft before the muscles of his abdomen hardened in a shock under her fingers and Katara thought of a wild ostrich-horse, startled by the strangeness of a human's touch.

She pulled out of the kiss and smiled at him as her fingers traced lightly around his navel. Zuko's eyes bulged and he grabbed her hand with one of his to still the tickling fingers. He met her eyes, a frown taking over his mouth, but the severe expression faded under her warm gaze. "No… sensations that tickle," he declared, though his soft tone exposed the half-heartedness of that proclamation.

"Duly noted." Katara placed a delicate kiss on his chin and let her hand flatten against his belly beneath the weight of his warm fingers. "Show me what you like, Zuko. I want to see."

The firebender's mouth hung slightly open for the brief moment it took him to recover his senses. Then, hesitantly, he slid his palm down to one hip. Katara laid her head on his shoulder to more comfortably watch and followed his motion, her own hand still tucked lightly under his. The skin of Zuko's chest brushed her cheek more rapidly as his breathing quickened.

Her fingers followed his as they traced up the outside of his bent leg as far as he could reach, then slowly descended his inner thigh. Katara's own breathing sped up, pressing her breasts again and again against his side. She let his hand lead down into the black thatch of his pubic hair and watched as he combed his fingers from his abdomen to the base of his rigid organ. When he gripped it, his fist was tight, the muscles in his forearm bulging and rippling as he slowly tugged along its length to the smooth head. Then, he twisted his palm around the last inches of himself before sinking his tight grip back to the veined base.

He repeated the motion several times and Katara watched, fascinated. It looked like it should hurt, like a body part that red and swollen couldn't be comfortably handled with that level of force. Yet, Zuko went on, his agonizingly slow pace obviously under perfect control.

Then, he stopped. "Katara?"

She lifted her head and turned to face him, not quite managing to shut her gaping mouth. His yellow eyes darted over her heated expression for only an instant before he groaned, brow furrowing, and Katara felt rather than saw his hand repeat its motion, this time a bit quicker than before. Without looking, she sank her fingers into the down covering his groin and scraped her nails against the flesh beneath as she had seen him do.

Zuko shuddered and glanced back and forth between her face and her hand.

Katara licked her dry lips and, smirking, lowered them to the nearer of his flat nipples. His eyes locked on her mouth as it opened to allow her teeth to lightly rasp his flesh.

"Uhn!" That sound, that stifled grunt that concealed itself so well between the firebender's suddenly labored breaths, made Katara's mouth water. Her inner muscles clenched and she slid one leg over Zuko's, dragging it up until the sparse hair above his knee tickled her inner thigh. She slid her fingers around the very base of his erection and peeled her mouth from his chest to speak and to smirk.

"Now watch me."

His mouth hung slightly open and, though he said nothing, his eyes glimmered like something seen through heat. Katara looked down to see that his hand had fallen away from his throbbing erection and lingered on the bed by his hip. Unthinkingly breathing through her mouth, she rigidly wrapped her fingers around the thick base of Zuko's cock and began a slow stroke to his end. His body gave a tiny, reflexive jerk against hers and he groaned from his belly, his breath immediately coming faster.

Watching the slow, firm motion of her own hand, Katara couldn't stop herself from squirming to feel the slickness of her own organs, the lingering throb there. She hitched her leg a little higher up Zuko's thigh and, to her delight, he rolled to face her, pressing his leg between hers. When she looked up, she found him intently watching her face.

"Is this okay?" he asked.

Katara sank her fist again to the base of his organ and watched his eyes narrow, his chin tilt upward. "This is… really good," she said, allowing his leg to press farther between hers. "Is it… okay for you?"

"Mmm. Oh yeah… Yeah, this is… really good. Ah…" His lips pulled into a loose smile as her palm dragged again down his length. Still, he watched her. Katara noticed that, while one of his hands was still nested in her hair, his free hand now perched on his hip like a hesitant bird. "Is it… Would it be okay if I touched you?"

The waterbender smiled and leaned closer to lightly kiss him. "That would be good."

So he did. At first, he simply stroked her jaw to draw her back into a deeper kiss. Then, his fingers trailed down her throat to cup her breast, to roll her nipple beneath his thumb. Katara drew back slightly from the kiss to gasp, then sped the motion of her hand.

It was as if that tiny acceleration was the bucket of water that burst the dam. Zuko gasped and began to press against the rhythm of her strokes with slow thrusts of his hips. His hand roamed down her side to the swell of her thigh and his hot yellow eyes locked with her blue ones.

"Please. Oh, Katara," he groaned, face lined with the strain. "Please!"

Not sure what else to do, the waterbender sped her hand, marveling at the way his entire body seemed to come alive, the muscles down his belly rippling as he worked his hips. His breath puffed out rapidly and his hand on her thigh spread, tightening and relaxing rhythmically. Katara propped herself up on her elbow and lightly nuzzled his ear.

"Tell me what you want, Zuko."

His breath blasting against her neck made her back arch. "You. I want you. I want…" His fingers twitched against her thigh. "I want to feel you."

Katara, panting a bit herself, hitched her leg higher up his thigh until her knee rested at his hip. She spoke with the soft lobe of his ear between her teeth. "Touch me."

He groaned, his hand swiftly gliding between her thighs to stroke her slick outer folds, to sink a finger into her wet opening. Still a bit hypersensitive from her orgasm, Katara clenched her inner muscles around that thrilling _other_ and gasped against his ear.

"Oh, Zuko…"

The firebender growled and sank his finger deeper as he thrust his hips forward more rapidly. The gesture was not lost on the waterbender, who began a steady grind of her own body against his hand so that the heel of his palm would rub that place, that explosive place.

Caught up in her own body's sensations as she quickly approached a second climax, Katara began losing her rhythm. With a frustrated growl, she abandoned the twist at the end of her stokes to go faster, harder. Zuko's velvety flesh was hot against her palm and his breaths pooled, steamy against her collarbone and punctuated by his quick, suddenly desperate grunts.

"Oh, Agni! Ah! Katara!"

It was the sound of his voice that launched her to her peak, this time. It was lower, raspier than usual, and buzzed down her sternum like a wave building as it rushed the beach. Her inner muscles clamped down and Zuko gave a final, unintelligible groan as he found his own release seconds later.

His seed came in a hot rush and, though she didn't see it, she could feel it, from the throb of his sex to the sudden slickness in her hand through which his organ slid a few times as he slowed and finally, stopped. Katara stilled as well and lay listening as their breathing quieted, as her heart returned to a normal speed.

Though she was very sleepy, the waterbender was still aware of Zuko's organ softening in her hand. She peered down, marveling at how much smaller it had become, at the transformative power of blood. With a surreptitious glance at the firebender – who appeared to have passed out with his mouth open against her chest – she gave the organ a little squeeze. It was _remarkably_ soft. In fact, Katara wasn't even sure she had a body part of comparable squishiness. Fascinated, she squeezed it a second time, then lightly prodded it with her index finger.

"Do all Southern Water Tribe women exploit post-orgasmic lethargy to grope their men?" Zuko's voice was soft against her skin and Katara peered down to find him watching her with one yellow eye. The other was still closed, as if half of him might continue sleeping while he had this conversation. "…or is it just you?"

"I… I was just… curious." She blinked, then slowly peeled her fingers from his flesh.

Zuko opened his other eye and smiled faintly up at her. "I didn't mean to complain… but I am… really tired." With that, he gently slid his finger from her sensitive folds, lightly stroking her downy hair as he drew his hand from between her legs. Katara watched, then, as he prodded the edge of a damp patch on the sheet between them and emitted a soft laugh.

"What's so funny?"

He glanced up at her, his good cheek going just a bit pink. "Oh… it's just… this… rule I have… It doesn't matter." He offered her a big, hopeful grin, and changed the subject. "Want to, uh, move to a clean part of the bed?"

Deciding she was too weary to inquire about non-mattering rules, Katara smiled and clambered over him, taking note of the way his eyes followed her bare skin. She settled under the covers near the center of the bed and watched as Zuko followed her, burrowing very close beside her. For a long moment, they lay silent, side-by side, and Katara blinked up at the ceiling. Finally, she turned her head.

"Goodnight kiss?"

Zuko's eyes glistened in the light of the last few guttering candles as he inched closer.

* * *

The Fire Lord strode from his chambers shortly after dawn in a hurry, a frown already creasing his brow.

Really, there should have been no reason for him to be angry before even entering his office today. Not only had he spent an amazing night with Katara, he had gotten the first solid block of sleep he'd had in weeks and had awakened to the tickle of her fragrant hair, to the warm curve of her very naked body pressed against his. By all reason, he should have still been in his bed.

But no. No sooner had he kissed the waterbender awake, Lin knocked at the door with an urgent meeting request and managed to march him out of the room in record time. Katara was probably still seething in the bathroom.

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose and silently hoped this wasn't Lin's initial strike in a war of retribution. It had _seemed_ like there was an actual emergency that he needed to deal with – some noble who had arrived in the night and needed an audience with the Fire Lord to impart some vital information – but Lin was capable of making a lot of unimportant things seem precisely the opposite, so it was difficult to tell.

At last, he strode through his office door, let it bang shut behind him, and stood, staring blankly at his guest.

"Zuko." Her voice was low, perfectly controlled as she turned to face him… but then, everything about her was always under perfect control. From her sleek black hair to her unwrinkled clothes to her pale, doll-like face, there was nothing about Mai that was the least bit out of her control. "We need to talk."

* * *

AN: Okay, so a lot of people were more for the 'waiting until marriage' option. I was **really** tempted to have them spend the night lying next to each other in agonizing chastity, but then I thought, 'Gee, my darling readers have been waiting since, like, the dawn of time. They may appreciate some seriously lemony deliciousness as a sort of a "sorry I suck" present.' Also, I have trouble imagining two teenagers who like each other getting naked together, spending the night in the same bed, and **not** doing anything. Maybe I was just a very bad teenager. :) Oh, the shame. Point being, if I end up chucking the sexytimes in this chapter, I'll probably take out the ritual bathing bit, as well... any thoughts from my brilliant readers?

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it enough to eventually forgive me. *is ashamed*


	37. Chapter 37

AN: Thank you to you, my most honorable reviewers! Here's another chapter for you! Hope you like it!

* * *

"Master Katara, would you like to breakfast in His Majesty's private lounge or do you prefer to go elsewhere?"

The waterbender let her head thump back against the door, the only barrier between herself and the bedroom, which was currently filled like a hive with busy servants and, at their swarming center, Lin.

It had been a very unpleasant way for Zuko's wake-up kisses to end. At the South Pole, no one would dream of purposefully intruding upon a couple who had only just spent their first night together – it was simply bad form. So, it came as quite a shock to the waterbender when Lin rapped twice on the door and then let herself in. At first, Katara had tugged the covers over her head and hoped the serving woman was only stopping by to wish them a good morning, but Lin quickly made it clear that there was some sort of an emergency and Zuko, despite his protests, would not escape the insistent call of duty.

When she fully realized what was about to happen, Katara peeked out from under the blankets at him where he sat up in bed beside her. Her voice was a whisper, her eyes huge. "You're just going to leave me here? With Lin?"

The firebender rubbed the back of his neck while executing a helpless shrug. "It sounds important." His yellow eyes settled on her and he offered a hopeful sort of smile. "I'll make it up to you later, Katara."

The waterbender narrowed her eyes, but found she couldn't quite stay mad under his gaze. There was something startlingly tender in the wrinkles deepening just beneath his eyes, in the upward tug of the corner of his mouth.

The minute Lin stepped back out into the corridor to set her subordinates to work, Katara had pecked Zuko on the cheek and darted into the bathroom in a flurry of sheets and bushy hair. The floor was still strewn with her clothes, including the sleep garb she had never quite made it into, and she scrambled into the fresh bindings she had thought to wear last night. She also gathered her black clothing and tucked it into the small linen closet behind a stack of towels. Then, she crouched by the door in her underwear and listened as the mob of servants herded the Fire Lord about his room and finally out the door. Her hope, initially, had been that they might tidy up the room and then leave to perform some other duty… but that prospect was looking more and more unlikely.

"Master Katara?"

Lin was out there, waiting. There was no possible escape.

"I, er..."

Katara could picture the knowing glances she would face on the other side of the door, the half-hidden smirks that were sure to line the corridors. Somehow, she had imagined facing the consequences of the scandal with Zuko at her side; it had seemed so much more bearable when she pictured him being embarrassed with her. But, the firebender had been whisked away in a lucky escape, leaving her to deal with it all on her own. She needed emotional support. She needed a friend. Though she would never say so out loud, she needed Sokka.

"I- Could I maybe go back to the suite I was in? I mean... I think I'd like to eat with my friends, if that's okay."

Lin's voice came back to her immediately, sounding almost kind - though that may have been the powerful dampening effect of the solid wood door. "Of course, Master Katara. If you will come out, my maids will help you dress, so that you can more quickly be on your way."

"Is… that really necessary?"

"It would only be _proper_ for a lady who has claimed His Majesty's attentions to benefit from the care of his staff, Master Katara – regardless of the circumstances." There was a mild threat behind those words. The waterbender frowned, eyes darting around the bathroom.

"I..."

"My women are most efficient and will certainly respect that you are shy in showing your naked body."

"Now, wait just one minute!" Katara jerked the door open an inch and glared through the space at Lin's bland expression. "This has nothing to do with being shy; it just… isn't the custom of my people to rely on others to do our personal chores for us."

Lin's eyes flicked up to the waterbender for an instant before dropping again to the floor and she arched a brow and spoke in a much lower voice - a voice meant only for Katara's ears. "Fire Nation Protocol mandates that a lady allow her servants to do their work, for seeing to the needs of one's rulers is a most honored profession. Is this show of disrespect the sort of treatment I should come to expect from a potential future Fire Lady?"

Katara scowled and spoke in an equally low tone. "It is not a matter of lacking respect; according to Southern Water Tribe tradition, a leader does for herself, because she respects her people enough to live as they do. Should I expect the household of my future husband to disregard my culture so blatantly?"

Lin's eyes narrowed fractionally and she was silent for a long moment. When she next spoke, she met Katara's gaze through the narrow opening of the door. "A humble servant would never seek to make light of the ways of her lady's people, though she would urge her lady to remember that she is not amongst the Southern Water Tribe, at present."

The waterbender's eyes shot over Lin's shoulder to follow the path of a servant carrying a tray of candles out of the room. "I assure you that I am very, very aware of that. However…" She looked back at Lin's blank expression. "…my people have been regarded by the Fire Nation as weak and uncivilized for a very long time. To assume a position of power in this country, I must not only show that I respect the way things are done here, I must also ensure that my origin and customs are respected as well. How could I possibly lead a people who think me no more than a savage and who believe my culture should be set aside for their own?"

Lin only frowned back at her.

Katara hitched one shoulder upward and her eyes involuntarily dropped off to one side. "I would not ask a humble servant to change the way she does things… I only ask that she understands that, while I do respect many parts of Fire Nation culture, I am not Fire Nation and will never pretend to be."

"The Fire Lady must love her people – how else could she be trusted to seek justice for them?"

The waterbender released a short laugh. "Is it customary in the Fire Nation to show love by imitation? Should I learn firebending and scar my face to show how much I love-?" She cut herself off and her mouth opened and shut a few times as Lin watched her.

And Lin did watch her. For several long, silent moments as servants darted about their business in the room behind her, the head serving woman watched Katara. Finally, the older woman heaved a sigh and relented in a voice only fractionally audible. "I doubt the Fire Lord would approve if I said 'yes.'" Lin's posture firmed and she tipped her head forward in the proper gesture of submission. "How, then, does my Lady wish to display her respect for Fire Nation Protocol while maintaining her own customs?"

Katara licked her lips and drew a deep breath before pushing the door open a few more inches. "If you'll bring me my bag, I think we can figure something out."

* * *

In the end, the waterbender put her own clothes on, but Lin brushed the wrinkles from her tunic. A younger serving woman worked the tangles out of Katara's hair, but the traditional Water Tribe braids where braided and beaded in the traditional way – by the Water Tribe woman's own hand. As she tied off the last beaded lock, the waterbender became aware that she was being watched covertly by more than a few of the women still bustling around the room. They were not the speculative glances she had envisioned, but a sort of benign curiosity tempered with mild appraisal. It was an oddly comforting surprise.

Free at last after over an hour of carefully negotiated grooming, Katara strode down the corridor towards what had recently been her rooms, flanked by a pair of silent serving women. It was Lin's final demand – the waterbender may have gotten out of the dressing and undressing in private, but she couldn't come up with a good enough defense against being escorted in the name of hospitality. She began to appreciate the company, though, when she passed a small group of Earth Kingdom noblemen. They had been chatting amicably when she rounded the corner, but they quieted the second they noticed her and Katara, though she strode past unflinchingly and stared straight ahead, was painfully aware of their frank stares and upraised brows. As she continued down the corridor, their whispers pelted her back like cold rain.

It appeared word had spread well beyond Lady Lo Kang and her friends. Katara clenched her jaw and struggled to maintain a steady pace as she traversed the last corridor between herself and the safety of her friends' suite. The two serving women bowed and departed before the waterbender could quite muster up the awareness to thank them and, with a sigh, she pushed through the door and into the lounge.

"Finally!" Sokka, apparently caught mid-pace between the sofa and the door, whirled on her. "Please tell me that you spent the night pulling more arrows out of the jerkbender and _not_ doing what all those people _think_ you were doing."

The door shut behind her and Katara blinked, mouth working silently.

Aang, sitting on the couch beside Toph, offered up a tense laugh. "Yeah, Katara. Tell Sokka there's nothing for him to worry about. He's been pacing pretty much all morning."

The earthbender smirked and wiggled her toes against the floor. Her tone was immeasurably more amused. "Yeah, Sweetness. Tell your brother all about Sparky's… honor."

Katara crossed her arms over her chest, expression souring. "Thanks a lot for the vote of confidence, guys. I'm really glad my friends and family believe in me as a responsible and honorable adult."

"Adult? You're not an adult!" Sokka pointed a finger at her, looking a bit panicky.

"Sokka!" Suki stood up from the armchair she had been sprawled in, her own face sinking into a frown. "Katara is old enough and smart enough to make her own decisions. There's no need for you to transform into an overbearing control freak every time she makes a choice you don't like."

"A choice I don't like? I don't not like this choice! I _hate_ this choice!" Sokka turned back to face the waterbender. "Do you realize how many people think Zuko was the one who hit you? And then he and Dad had another fight and _that_ didn't help reassure anybody, let me tell you. Now, you blatantly spend the night in his room – do you know what that looks like? It looks like you willingly subject yourself to abuse, like you try to instigate fights between men. What does that say about our people, Katara?"

Katara raised her chin and balled her fists at her sides. "It's not my fault that Dad and Zuko keep picking fights with each other. And if you're so concerned about the way things look right now, maybe you should be more careful when you run around, planting ridiculous ideas into people's heads."

Her brother pulled up short and turned his head slightly to one side, eyeing her. "What ridiculous ideas?"

"Oh, I don't know… Maybe that real winner you gave Zuko about making sure our marriage would be perceived as anything but political." Sokka's eyes widened. Katara's lip curled. "I've been meaning to thank you for that one, by the way."

Sokka looked like someone had just told him that the world had run out of sea prunes, forever. Toph clutched her sides and gasped as she choked out peals of laughter. Aang's face stretched in wordless horror. Suki just frowned. "So the idea is to make it seem like you two are carrying on an affair so that everyone thinks you're marrying to quiet down the scandal?"

Katara nodded. "Yeah. That's the plan."

"Are you crazy?" Aang finally broke out of his shock, his voice squeaking slightly under the strain. "What purpose could that possibly serve other than humiliating everyone involved?"

"Actually," Toph said, her eyebrows raised as her chuckles gentled. "It's a pretty good idea. Just think about it, Twinkle Toes. The Southern Water Tribe really needs long-term financial support and profitable trade agreements – exactly the benefits they could expect if they sent Katara off as a political bride. If they did that, though, they would be abandoning old traditions that define their marriages as the powerful bonds that they are, traditions that differentiate them from the Northern Water Tribe. By making it look like they're hot for each other to the point of disgracing themselves-"

Katara pinched the bridge of her nose and braced her free hand on her hip.

"-they're actually freeing themselves up to marry without inciting uncertainty about the Southern Water Tribe's traditions." Toph crossed her arms, grinning across the room. "Good thinking, Snoozles!"

Sokka, looking numb and hollow-eyed, stumped over to an armchair and toppled into it. "I'm a genius," he said, though his tone made 'genius' sound a lot like 'idiot.'

Suki patted his knee and then turned to look at Katara, her face splitting into a genuine smile. "Congratulations on your engagement."

The waterbender offered a faint smile. "Thanks, Suki. It's, ah… not exactly public, yet, though." She shuffled over to another armchair and sank down, resting her cheek on one fist. "We wouldn't want to get ahead of our bad reputations, after all."

"Are you sure this is what you want, Katara?" Aang tilted his head to one side. "You don't exactly sound… happy."

The waterbender peered at the airbender's concerned expression and, after a moment, sighed. "I don't like this scandal idea any more now than I did when Zuko suggested it. I hate walking through the palace with people whispering and staring at me and it bothers me a lot to think about what they must be saying. I didn't like having to make this decision in such a hurry, I don't want to keep secrets or act so… cunning about something as personal as a marriage, and I'm still not sure I like the idea of marrying within the week." She glanced around her friends' faces and shrugged. "But I do want to marry Zuko… and this is what I have to go through to accomplish that."

"Heh heh… that's sweet even for you, Sugar Queen."

"Thanks, Toph." Katara caught Aang's grin and Suki's borderline-sappy smile and rolled her eyes.

After a quiet moment, Sokka peered at her woefully. "Does Dad know?"

Katara swallowed. "I'm not sure… I guess I'll find out when I go see him." She blinked down at the low table around which the chairs and sofa were gathered. "…after breakfast."

* * *

Breakfast turned out to be fruit and sweet rice served alongside hot tea and, even though she nibbled each piece of fruit and took her tea in sips so tiny she almost couldn't taste it, Katara felt the meal was far too short. Sokka, after being elbowed a number of times by Suki, finally offered to go with her. The waterbender immediately accepted, immeasurably relieved to have company that was conveniently also responsible for the situation she was about to have to explain.

They walked side-by-side in silence until they reached the final corridor. More nobles were out now that the day was well underway and Sokka became increasingly tense as they neared their destination. "Everybody's staring at us," he hissed.

"No." Katara turned the doorknob and frowned at her brother as she drew open the door. "They're staring at me."

"And no wonder."

The siblings looked to the low table at the center of the lounge and found their father watching them, expression bland. He wasn't the only one. Several of the tribesmen scattered around the room peered up at the two youths. No one smiled. Bato sat against a wall, sharpening his knife against a dark stone with slow, even strokes. The sound rasped and rang through Katara's bones, both familiar and newly alarming.

"Dad," she began, holding her head high. "Could we talk to you in private for a minute?"

"Of course." Hakoda laid down the papers he had been sifting through and rose from the table. "Who is an old man to refuse an audience with his wise children?"

Katara flinched slightly and, out of the corner of her eye, saw that Sokka did, too.

Their father led them into one of the adjoining rooms, where sleeping bags sprawled out on the floor between undisturbed beds. As Sokka closed the door behind him, the chieftain turned to face them, crossing his thick arms over his chest. His ice-blue eyes settled on his daughter, but he said nothing.

Katara looked away and rubbed the back of her neck. "I… guess you've heard…"

"Over breakfast in the dining hall." Hakoda's tone was calm, but his nostrils flared and his jaw clenched subtly. Katara stared fixedly at the floor between them.

"It's… not really what it sounds like… We didn't…"

"You are a grown woman, Katara. You don't have to explain what you do and do not do to me."

"But I _can_." Her voice firmed with the last word and she met her father's stare. "I can tell you that I have conducted myself honorably, now, when it looks most as if I have not. I can't defend myself against… pretty much anyone, but I can tell you that I would not knowingly disgrace myself or my people without having a very good reason."

"A plan, isn't it?" The waterbender's brow furrowed. Hakoda tilted his head back slightly. "Sokka's idea. The Fire Lord's plan." His eyes were still set on her, though Sokka winced at the mention of his name. "I certainly hope this behavior is part of some kind of plan, Katara, because I've caused our people a great deal of embarrassment by acting stupidly without one. I hope you know the Fire Lord as well as you think you do."

The waterbender drew a great breath and nodded. "I'm going to marry him… so I hope so, too."

Her father watched her for another long moment before his lips curled up at one corner in a faint smile. "Did you come to tell me this so I wouldn't pick another… meeting?"

Katara dipped her chin slightly, smiling. "The notion crossed my mind…" Her smile quickly faded and she frowned down at the floor, forcing out the words. "But I… I didn't want you to… think poorly of me… because of what people are saying. I..."

Hakoda took a step closer and tapped the underside of her chin with one thick finger. When she looked up, Katara found him smiling at her. His callused hand cupped, huge and warm, against her cheek. "We are Southern Water Tribe, Katara. Maybe you spent too much time away and forgot, but our people do not dismiss each other for acting out of love." His teeth gleamed in his brown face as it split into a grin. "It's really the only reason I'm still accepted as chief."

Vision a bit blurred, Katara threw her arms around her father and pressed her ear against his chest. As his arms came around her, she listened to the deep thump of his heart, the low vibration of his voice.

"Are you sure I can't hit him one more time – just to make it look convincing?"

Sokka, who seemed glad to be forgotten, tried to stifle his snicker. The waterbender chuckled and shut her eyes. "I'd really rather you didn't."

* * *

Katara stayed with Hakoda and Sokka in the Tribe's common room for a few hours, going over the trade agreements and the agenda for the meetings remaining in the week. The Southern Water Tribe had already completed most of its business and there was a relaxed atmosphere around the lounge. The waterbender supposed that she had missed it earlier because of her preoccupation with rumors because, now that she could unwind a little herself, she found herself soothed by Bato's steady knife-sharpening and the soft conversation two older hunters were having in a corner – something about musk-moose and the way snow owls followed them during their night walks, picking off any rodents who ran from their burrows as they collapsed under the moose's weight.

Eventually, the lunch hour rolled around and, with a start, Katara remembered that she was supposed to meet Zuko for their spar. She made her excuses and rushed from the room, leaving Sokka behind to discuss the possibility of expanding the trade system to include Kyoshi Island. The waterbender didn't notice this time as she passed so many staring nobles on her way to the guard barracks. After all, she was going to see Zuko – not just see him, but practice bending with him – and her heart was pounding in anticipation.

As she crossed the garden, Katara found herself smirking at the overcast sky. The cheating firebender would still have an advantage since the sun was high and the moon would not rise until past sunset, but the cloud cover would take his power down a notch or two and, if it started raining – it smelled like it might rain – Zuko would be have to fight hard to keep up with her.

Between the hurry, the thrill of battle, and the prospect of rain, Katara was more than a little stunned when she came upon the guard barracks and there were only a few men practicing bending and hand-to-hand combat in the yard. She frowned and sat down under a peach-apple tree, thinking that Zuko was simply running late. When the noon-time bell rang and the guards began making their way into the barracks to their own dining hall, the waterbender started to wonder whether he had forgotten their agreement.

It wasn't until the guards began filtering back out of the building that Katara rose in a huff and turned back toward the palace. Maybe she would just hunt the firebender down and politely remind him.

As she came around the tree, she found herself face-to-face with a guard who was clearly on his way back from some duty or other. He looked mildly familiar and Katara, set a bit on alert, stepped to one side to pass around him, but he turned to face her fully and offered a sharp bow.

"Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe – do you not remember me?" His voice was hoarse, as if it pained him to speak.

"I…" The waterbender stared hard at the man as he removed his helmet. Her eyes passed over his long sideburns and hopeful yellow eyes without recognition, but then widened as they settled on the bandage over one side of his neck. "Oh! You're that guard who was with me at the carnival! Of course I remember you!"

Looking very pleased, the man bowed again. He grated out words, despite the obvious discomfort. "You honor me, Master Katara. I am very glad for this chance… to thank you for saving my life – I owe you a great debt."

Katara felt her cheeks heat. "I'm pretty sure I should be the one thanking you. I could have just as easily been the one to take that knife."

The guard's expression grew grave and he cast a glance towards the barracks behind her. "Yet I could not have helped you. Master Katara, I would like to help you, now, but this is not a safe place. Will you meet me once Former General Iroh's ball has begun, tonight? I have information that I believe may help a mutual friend and I am not sure who else to give that information to."

"Of course. Where do you wish to meet?"

"The courtyard where you and your friends arrived. If you slip out of the crowd once the toasts are complete, I think you can escape notice."

Katara nodded in acknowledgement and returned the guard's short bow. As he turned to walk past her, she tipped her head to one side. "Thank you… ah… What is your name?"

His lips twitched in a smile as he settled the helmet back over his topknot. "I am Guardsman Tao, Master Katara, and it is my honor to be of service to you." His eyes darted around them and he quietly went on. "…and to the Blue Spirit."

The waterbender watched Tao hurry off, then began making her way back towards the palace. As she wound through the garden, she wondered how many of the guards would want to help the Blue Spirit if they knew what he was doing. She also wondered how Tao knew she was in league with him – did he perhaps just suspect that she was because the masked vigilante had arrived in time to defend her from the other guard or had Chu Tan or Won Chi been spreading rumors about the waterbending Red Demon, after all?

Distracted as she was by all the questions rambling through her head, it took Katara a while to remember just what she had intended to do when she reached the palace and she stood in the doorway for several long minutes before climbing a staircase that would hopefully lead her to Zuko's office. This business with Tao gave her all the more reason to find him – maybe he would have some ideas about the guard's motives.

As she turned a corner to stride down a final long corridor, Katara found herself fast approaching the elegantly vertical form of Lady Lo Kang. The Earth Kingdom woman looked groomed to perfection and was moving at a rather stately pace with a small entourage of green-clad noblewomen. Just the sight of them made Katara even more aware of the wrinkles in her clothing from sitting on the ground and her less-than-dignified pace. Still, she held her head high as she prepared to cross paths with the other women.

Lady Lo Kang smiled and, with a flutter of her thick lashes, executed an artful shrug. "Master Katara – a fine effort, though I do extend my condolences. It is most unfortunate that your gamble has failed." The women around her smiled their pretty, condescending smiles and one – a girl some years younger than the waterbender – even seemed to be biting back amusement.

Katara fought the urge to sneer and keep walking, instead offering a weak smile. "Why, whatever do you mean, Lady Lo Kang?"

"Oh, have you not heard?" She lifted one delicate hand to hover before her smirking lips and glanced from one mock-astonished face to another. "How very embarrassing for you!"

The waterbender offered only a short shake of her head and a roll of her eyes as she turned to walk on. She had more important things to do than be subjected to this obvious waste of her-

"I would certainly be humiliated to find that I had sacrificed my virtue to a man who runs to his former lover before even sitting down for his morning tea."

At these words, Katara stopped in her tracks and, very slowly, turned back to look at the smirking noblewoman. Vaguely, she was aware of the other faces hovering around Lady Lo Kang's, but her focus stayed unflinchingly on their target.

The lady fanned herself and did not look away. Her smile was like a fox's. "Lady Mai arrived late last night - I am not sure that she was told of the Fire Lord's… activities at that time, but I suppose she has figured it out by now." She leaned closer, lowering her voice to a whisper. "The scent of vermin can become, at times, unbearable. I don't doubt he reeks of you, still." Her neck straightened and she blinked slowly, impudently. "No doubt she will accept him back, anyway. A bright noblewoman like Lady Mai knows the value of a crown."

Katara's face was burning, but she still did not look away. "You lie. Mai is on Ember Island with her family."

Lady Lo Kang laughed, a perfect, ringing sound like a silver bell that her companions echoed eerily. "Don't take my word for it, dear. Ask anyone." Her dainty chin dipped forward slightly as she turned to walk away. "It seems everyone knows but you."

Katara watched the group of noblewomen giggle and whisper their elegant way down the corridor and out of sight. Then, she turned and ran.

* * *

AN: So, I'm not entirely sure about this chapter. Any feedback at all would be great - especially if there are spots that feel awkward or logic jumps that don't make sense or things that conflict with past chapters... I've been trying to stay conscious of what each character knows and doesn't know and it's kind of difficult, after two months with my head outside of the plot.

Once again, you guys rock!


	38. Chapter 38

AN: Thank you to all of you fine reviewing folks! You guys keep me going when nothing else seems to work and your showers of praise make me blush and blush! This chapter was tougher to write than I thought it should be and I had the disheartening experience of seeing the ATLA movie... which is just... not the same. :( No, not the same at all. I mean - uh! - they cut out *all* of Shirtless Zuko? What is UP with that?

EvilGu: Hey, thanks for the heads-up on that Toph-thing! I did feel like it was getting a little repetitive, but it seemed to belong there. I'll give it a good eye-balling later.

Ceres McClure: Oooh, that's a GOOD point! To be totally honest, it bugs me, too. I've had some trouble avoiding little petty conflicts like that and I'm not sure whether it's because I'm a petty/conflicted person or because there have been a lot of little false-climactic moments throughout the story. Later versions should be more streamlined. If you have any suggests for avoiding or glossing over any of these little misunderstanding-based conflicts, I would definitely love to hear them!

At any rate, I give you THIS dramatical continuation and I hope you're not all too sore at me about the wait. Good things are yet to come! Be well, beloved readers!

* * *

In the seconds it took her to reach Zuko's office door, Katara had forgotten all about their appointment. She had forgotten the cloudy sky and her run-in with Guardsman Tao and, most especially, his unnerving knowledge of her connection to the Blue Spirit. She had forgotten that people were watching her, whispering about her, and making up lies that were uncomfortably close to the truth. She had even forgotten just how much and exactly why she loathed Lady Lo Kang and all the other smirking scavengers who cleaned up so nicely.

As her feet pounded down the marble corridor, Katara was really only aware of four key features of the situation at hand. First, she was aware that the last time she had seen Zuko, he had been unwittingly going to meet with Mai and that that had been hours ago. Second, she remembered how Mai could throw a stiletto from across a room and pin a fly to the wall in the time it took Katara to fully blink. Third, she remembered how Zuko had looked the night he had been tortured by Lo Wei, with his body striped in his own blood from all of those clean, precise cuts.

Fourth, Katara was very, very aware that Lo Wei had been financed by Mai's father.

Before hitting the office door with the full weight of her body, she uncorked her flask and slashed through the wood between the knob and the frame, severing the latch so that, with the force of her impact, the ruined mechanism fell apart and the door banged open easily. Then, she crouched just inside, scanning the room.

"I think I might be experiencing culture shock." Tone as bored as ever, Mai sat in a chair in front of the Fire Lord's desk, her long neck elegantly twisted so that she could watch the waterbender. Leaning against the leg of her chair was a slim, black leather paper-case and, before her on the desk, sat a small teapot, a single cup, and an empty plate all gathered on a lacquered tray. Zuko, himself, was nowhere to be seen. "Are you trying to be rude or do people just not say 'may I come in' at the South Pole?"

Still wary, Katara leaned to one side, trying to see the floor behind the desk. "Where's Zuko, Mai?"

The expression on the noblewoman's face did not change and her tone remained light. "Oh, I'm fine. It's nice to see you, too, Katara."

Growing annoyed, the waterbender straightened slightly, though her posture was still relaxed and prepared for defense. She held the water from her canteen aloft in a slow swirl before her. "I'm not playing around with you, Mai. I need to know where Zuko is – and I mean _right now_."

Mai's eyes narrowed slightly in the pause before she spoke. "You honestly believe I've knocked him unconscious and hidden his body somewhere in this room, don't you? And then I suppose I just sat here, waiting for someone to catch me? You're as paranoid as he is." With a roll of her eyes, she turned her head so that Katara could no longer see her face and gazed toward the window. "I thought he was actually going to try to set me on fire when he came in this morning. I mean, I know we didn't part on the best of terms, but… Wasn't there a tree outside that window?"

Katara relaxed a degree further with the noblewoman's attention diverted from her and her eyes flicked for an instant to the window frame. Outside, the garden looked strangely lush in the gray light. Closer, Mai was as still as a statue, hardly seeming to draw breath at all. In her lap, her thin hands clutched each other like two white birds nestled together on the black of her skirt. "It had to be removed." Katara was remembering, now, that this young woman had been polite in the days after the war, that she had fought in Zuko's defense when his life was on the line. She was remembering that they had very nearly been friends there at the end. A smile tugged at one edge of Katara's mouth. "There was some… extensive fire damage."

"Why does that not surprise me? There always seems to be extensive damage of one kind or another wherever Zuko goes." Her head tipped slightly to one side. "That's a new chair, too, isn't it?"

Something sharp cut though the waterbender's chest; some intangible blade driven by her sudden awareness of how much time Mai must have spent in this office to notice so subtle a change. "I… wouldn't know."

That long neck swiveled again, reminding Katara of the graceful throats of tiger-swans. Mai's unflinching stare was hard as a slap. "You and I both know that isn't true."

The Water Tribe woman tilted her chin up a fraction and said nothing as the Fire Nation noble's eyes flitted down her figure, then locked against her stare.

"I always kind of liked you, Katara – you were never boring. Plain and naïve, maybe, but never boring." The corners of the waterbender's mouth turned downward, but she remained silent. Mai didn't even blink. "And now that you're all grown up – apart from kicking in doors, apparently – I imagine we could become great friends… Except we've always been opponents and that's not exactly a good start to friendship for me. I've never liked competing with friends; I grew up with Azula and competitions with her always ended badly for me." Her keen eyes dropped for an instant off to one side, but quickly returned to the waterbender. Her tone was steely beneath its proprietary softness. "When I want something, I work hard to get it. I may not spend a lot of time… sweating and dirtying my hands, but the effort I put forth still entitles me to certain rewards. I detest the indignity of losing, Katara, and I refuse to let my efforts go unrecognized just because I happened to fall into second place."

A sick feeling crept into the waterbender's gut as the silence lengthened. She swallowed and fought the urge to break eye contact, to look at anything but that perfectly symmetrical face, those cunning eyes. "What sort of efforts are you…? Exactly… why are you here, Mai?"

The noblewoman held her gaze for another long moment before again turning her head so that she could peer out the window. "It's personal. And, since Zuko was the one who dragged you into this… really awkward situation, he should be the one to explain it to you." She waved a dismissive hand over her shoulder. "He's with his uncle."

Katara turned to leave, but paused in the door before looking back at Mai one last time. There was something unusually bleak about her for someone who had come to claim a prize – and that Mai could seem more bleak than she usually did was unnerving, in itself. It was not in her rigid posture or her dark clothes, nor in the stillness and silence that seemed to swallow her. It wasn't even her apparent distraction, her gaze locked on the window where a tree no longer stood.

It was the way her hands were clenched together in her lap, as though losing that grip would cause a fall to unfathomable depths.

* * *

Katara did not run to Iroh's suite. She strode with purpose, elbows bent at her sides and eyes set unfalteringly at the next bend in the corridor. She passed a lot of people, but did not really see them staring, did not hear their whispers. Court intrigue, public perception, carefully laid plans – none of that mattered, anymore. Whatever was going on, it had to be something serious to have such an obvious effect on Mai's usually reserved body language and, from the sound of it, Katara had unwittingly waded up to her ears in it.

So, although she was not running, the waterbender's heart was still banging against her ribs and, in her distraction, she almost collided with Lin when she rounded the wrong corner. She tried to offer some apologies and go on about her business, but it was already too late.

"Master Katara, if it pleases you, my seamstress would be honored to take your measurements, now." Though the words were infallibly polite, the tone in which they were spoken categorized this as a command.

The waterbender cast the head serving woman a glance before peering back down the empty corridor towards her destination. "Actually, I'm in a hurry right now. Can't we do this later?"

"It pains a humble servant to inconvenience her Lord's guest, but Former General Iroh's ball is in just a few hours and such a _distinguished_ guest as Master Katara must have a dress worthy of royalty." At this, Katara turned to stare at Lin's properly lowered face. The older woman's amber eyes flicked up to meet hers as she finished in an undertone. "…else, she will risk damaging a humble servant's honor beyond repair."

Despite the distinct feeling that she could not possibly argue well enough to win this dispute, Katara quickly peered around to be sure they would not be overheard and spoke as softly as she could. "Look, I have to find Zuko as soon as possible so that I can figure out what-"

"His Majesty will certainly understand the importance of looking one's best for one's potential future subjects." Lin began ushering the resistant waterbender down a side corridor. "It will only take a few moments."

"But I have to know what Mai is-"

The older woman pulled up short and met Katara's eyes, all pretense of humility forgotten. In a very clear, calm voice, she said, "Master Katara, whatever Lady Mai's business might be, it will not alter Fire Lord Zuko's intentions towards you. I swear it on the honor of this household."

The waterbender stood, stunned, staring into Lin's ferociously earnest eyes. She had not really allowed herself to think about this possibility, the chance that Zuko might have changed his mind. In her hurry, Katara had only focused on the potential danger to his life but, now that Lin laid this side of the matter so clearly before her, she found that it was almost as terrifying.

What _did_ Mai feel she was owed?

At last, Katara managed to swallow, breaking the spell. "How… how can you be so sure?"

Then, the strangest thing happened. The older woman's amber eyes wrinkled at their corners and her lips spread into a smile that looked as if it should have creaked the way a seldom-used door does as it opens. "Come. I will explain once my seamstress has done her work."

* * *

"Uncle…" Zuko tapped the tips of his fingers against his cup, watching the ripples scatter across the surface of the tea in a chaotic dazzle. "I know I have a duty to Mai in this and I don't want to try to get out of that, but I don't think Katara will approve of… the way Mai suggests that I honor my duty."

Iroh opened his mouth to speak but instead lowered himself to a sitting cushion with a grunt and settled his gaze on the teapot steaming before him. Zuko quickly felt his patience thinning, but as his uncle lifted the vessel with one hand and held back his sleeve with the other, he noticed the way Iroh's straining fingers whitened, the way the flesh pulled against his joints. The sight rattled down to his gut in an instinctive warning and Zuko looked away, as if that might drive off the inevitable.

From one of the adjoined rooms came the soft sounds of Yoshu practicing an old song on the Sungi Horn and somehow managing to turn the soothingly familiar notes into something jarring and unpleasant. Zuko rubbed his temple. "Does he have to do that while I'm here?"

"The best time for practice is always the present, my nephew." Iroh arched his gray eyebrows and peered at the young Fire Lord. "Though, the practice of deception is better put off until tomorrow."

Zuko squinted, trying to decipher exactly what he was supposed to take from that.

Iroh only sighed and raised his cup to his lips, speaking through the steam. "No, my nephew, I imagine that Master Katara will not approve at all. She is a fierce and just young woman and, while she may understand and accept what you must do, she is more likely to try to hinder than help you in this task."

"So… what do I do, Uncle?"

Iroh folded his hands around his cup, brow furrowing. For a long moment, he only peered into his tea. When his eyes at last lifted to settle on the younger man, they moved slowly as if weighted. "You must make choices, Zuko. And it is better to make choices one at a time, to ensure that you choose well. First," he held up one finger, "you must choose whether to do this thing that Lady Mai has asked of you."

With his mouth curved into a scowl, Zuko peered off to one side. "I don't see how I could honorably deny her this… and I'm not sure that I would want to. It's the right thing to do."

Iroh nodded slowly. "Then you must do it. Now comes the more difficult choice; how will you explain this to Master Katara?"

The Fire Lord drew a deep breath and his brow gave a helpless twitch. "Just… as it is. Katara understands justice in the Fire Nation. She will understand this."

The old man set his cup on the table and locked his yellow eyes on his nephew. "Are you so certain?"

* * *

"Does it… _have_ to be red?"

"This is a celebration of all of the nations coming together in peace and love, Master Katara! No one will wear their own colors, tonight. Now, raise your arms, please."

Katara raised her arms, but frowned a little harder. This was not the brief delay Lin had described. This was a form of subtle torture.

The waterbender was bound from neck to ankles in silk studded with somewhere in the vicinity of a thousand pins. If she shifted in the wrong direction, breathed too deeply, or – Yue help her – sneezed, she was very likely to pay the price in blood. The woman calling the shots was large around the waist and seemed to almost fill the cluttered fitting room on her own, but somehow, through an intricate dance that Katara was not quite able to follow due to the fabric pinned around her throat, Seamstress Yun never knocked a thing out of place. She actually gave much the impression of an oversized songbird with her chirping voice and the quick flutter of her movements.

"Just a smidge higher, now, dear."

In one corner of the room, Lin coughed.

Seamstress Yun's lips tightened around the pins she was holding in her mouth. "I mean, Master Katara."

The waterbender only shut her eyes and lifted her arms a bit higher. She had already lost count of the times she had tried to dismiss the stuffy formality in this room only to be corrected by Lin's soft, insistent cough. It was hopeless. The woman would not give an inch.

She also wouldn't even begin to explain her certainty that Zuko would not change his plans. Every time Katara had begun to ask, Lin would cut her off with a pointed glance at the seamstress and some question about the waterbender's preferences regarding Earth Kingdom lace or Fire Nation brocade – things that Katara actually knew nothing about. So, in the end, she was forced to swallow her impatience and wait.

When Seamstress Yun finally pinned off the hem and, with ease borne of practice, slipped the dress from her fleshy mannequin, Katara indulged in an enormous sigh and a healthy slouch. The large woman chuckled softly and, making some excuse about 'just stitching a few things up,' bustled from the fitting room.

Immediately, the waterbender's eyes shot to Lin. Though she stood before the woman in her underwear for the second time that day, she had forgotten all about modesty. "Now, explain."

The serving woman's chin dipped forward slightly and her eyes settled on the floor. "Lady Mai's appearance at this time is little more than shameful. Having broken off her engagement with the Fire Lord, she has no right to make demands on his time or attention – especially now that he has become publicly entangled with another Lady. To return in search of his favor after causing him such pain makes Lady Mai seem fickle and wantonly cruel."

Katara lifted her hands at her sides. "Then what would drive her to come back, at all?"

Lin blinked and her mouth pinched slightly. "A humble servant does not eavesdrop on her Lord's private conversations and certainly does not report them to those outside of his household…" Her eyes flicked up to the waterbender. "She can only offer her assurances that a wedding rushed by passion is far less dishonorable in the Fire Nation than some alternatives. The court will side with you in this, Master Katara – do not doubt it."

"But… Lady Lo Kang-"

Lin raised a dismissive hand. "-is Earth Kingdom nobility. The ridiculous notion that ill-suited love is romantic is a blight on her people." Katara only blinked, stunned by the derision in the older woman's voice. "Now, two young people in love, both so recently abandoned by their betrothed and tormented by the resistances posed by strife between families and nations…" The tiniest of smiles lengthened the lines at the corners of her eyes. "_That_ is romance. _That _is a story to win the hearts of the Fire Nation – maybe even the world."

"I… I don't know that I'd say we were-"

At that moment, Seamstress Yun returned with the splash of silk draped over one arm and a thoughtful frown creasing her brow. "Now, this should work much better, but let's give it another try before I really polish it off, shall we?"

Lin, face again straight and eyes properly lowered, cleared her throat.

The large woman shot her the briefest of frowns. "I mean… shall we, Master Katara?"

* * *

Despite Lin's assurances, Katara still hurried to Iroh's suite as soon as she escaped the seamstress's clutches, cursing the delay under her breath. When she at last reached his door, she raised a hand to knock, only to have the surface draw away from beneath her fist.

In the open doorway stood a mildly surprised Fire Lord. After an instant of silence, they spoke in the same breath.

"I've been looking all over for you."

"I need to tell you something."

Katara glanced over Zuko's tidy robes and smooth topknot. He looked preoccupied and a little nervous, but seemed to be uninjured and, at that realization, the worry that had gnawed at the waterbender since she had heard of Mai's return was consumed by her relief. She swallowed and, heedless of the small group of nobles passing through the corridor behind her, hurled her arms around him. With her face pressed against the rigid curve of his mantle's shoulder, she choked out words.

"Yue! Zuko, I was scared for you. I thought she'd killed you."

* * *

The Fire Lord was stunned. He had known that Katara would likely hear about Mai before he had the chance to tell her and had expected anger, maybe jealousy – not… hugging. He tucked his chin to get a look at her, but couldn't see her face.

Was she… crying?

After a second's uncertainty, he wrapped his arms around her and turned his cheek against the softness of her hair. A passing group of Fire Nation nobles had slowed and were watching the display with expressions ranging between shock and amusement. One even had the audacity to whisper something to another. Zuko narrowed his eyes at them and, with a fine show of spontaneous obliviousness, they hurried along their way.

Finally, Katara's words really sank in. He spoke softly into her hair. "You thought… Mai had killed me?"

Maybe his skepticism seeped through, because the waterbender tensed in his arms. "Well… At first I thought she was here… er, on her father's business, but then Lin said this thing that just… but then she had me sewn into a dress and…" She pulled away and Zuko could see that, no, she hadn't been crying. She looked strained, though, as if it had been a difficult day. The firebender could relate to that – he just wasn't so sure he understood exactly what had her so worked up. Under his curious gaze, her lips spread in a sheepish grin. "I'm just… really relieved that you're okay."

Zuko found a smile inching across his face. It was strangely gratifying that Katara – brave, independent Katara – would be this worried about him just because his ex-girlfriend had showed up. Granted, Mai was a skilled fighter and her father was a treasonous puppet-master… but it was still nice to know his bride-to-be cared.

She was currently smiling up at him, a little uncertainty creeping into her eyes. "So, ah… What did you want to tell me?"

The Fire Lord blinked. "Oh! That's right… Come in and we'll… talk…" Drawing out of her embrace, he ushered the waterbender into his uncle's lounge and closed the door behind her.

Iroh was beaming, his hands clasped before him and a new pot of tea already on the table. "Ah, Master Katara – I am so glad that you came by! I hope you'll enjoy a cup of tea while you and my nephew discuss matters." One of the adjoined doors opened and Yoshu's grinning face was visible for about two seconds before the old man shooed him back and, with another enormous smile, retreated from the room as well.

Zuko released a sigh as the door shut and, seconds later, the little tea-server resumed his practice to the steady beat of Iroh on some kind of drum.

As she took a seat at the low table, Katara frowned after them. "Is that…"

Not really thinking about it, the Fire Lord sat and poured the tea. "Uncle assures me that it's necessary. At the very least, we'll have some semblance of privacy…" When he placed a steaming cup before the waterbender, she turned to watch him. Zuko poured his own cup and set the pot aside, stealing glances of her from the corner of his eye. "What?"

Her eyes swept over him and he almost thought he could feel them dance across his royal robes, his broad mantle, his golden ornament. His hand still resting on the teapot. Katara only smiled and lifted her cup to hover below her lips. "Thank you, Zuko."

Something was different, now. He couldn't decide just what it was, but he knew that the sight of her dusky fingers against the porcelain of her teacup made his heart beat faster. He knew her eyes were shining more brightly than they had yesterday, that the faint dimpling of her smile made Yoshu's terrible playing seem somehow bearable.

"So…"

Zuko blinked rapidly and cleared his throat, turning his gaze to the cup before him. "Ah, yes. That important… thing." He looked back up to her and a chord of anxiety thrummed through him. There was really no reason to tell her anything but the absolute truth, but the words caught in his throat.

Katara sat patiently for a while, but her smile faded and her brow furrowed. Finally, she broke the silence. "When I talked to Mai-"

"You talked to Mai?"

The waterbender shrugged. "She was in your office. Anyway, she said she was here because you… owed her something… personal… or something. Is that the… important thing?"

The firebender frowned and looked off to one side. "Yeah. Yeah, that's the thing."

He could feel Katara watching him as he searched for the proper way to start this explanation. "So what did Mai do to earn this… thing?"

Zuko looked back to her and, with a blink, smiled. "She's been recording her father's finances. Every coin that came into the household, every purchase he's made in the months since… she left." He frowned down at his teacup. This situation was starting to remind him a lot of when he had abandoned her to join the Avatar… only he had left a note, while Mai had smoothly convinced him that she had other priorities.

With a shake of his head, Zuko banished the thought – he'd deal with that later. When he looked back up, Katara was nodding, her expression a little skeptical. "So she's just… giving you this hard evidence against her father? Why would she do that?"

Zuko wrapped his fingers around his teacup, frowning thoughtfully. "Mai was raised to think first of her family's honor and her father's political career. She's sacrificed a lot, personally, over the years and, in a…" He allowed himself a tiny smile. "…really caustic way, she's very proud of the honor she's brought home with her. When Lord Bau Li told her to leave me, she began to suspect that he was no longer working in the interests of the family and, when she started keeping tabs on the finances, she discovered that she was right."

Zuko looked up at the waterbender, tipping his head slightly to one side. "Mai agrees with Fire Nation Law that her father is no longer worthy to be head of the Bau family."

"But…" Katara shook her head slowly, a furrow forming between her brows. "If Mai cares so much about the honor of her family, why would she turn in her father? Wouldn't the dishonor be greater if he's arrested for his crimes?"

"He wouldn't be arrested, Katara. He's committed treason. The penalty would be death."

"How- how could she do that to her own father?" The waterbender stared at him, wide-eyed, and Zuko could almost see the thoughts flashing through her head. He remembered the annoyance and love in her eyes as she healed her own father after their fight the previous day – of course she wouldn't understand this the way that Zuko did. Hakoda was a good man, a good father. The love of her father was at the core of who Katara was.

This was why he had hesitated to tell her Mai's request and he hoped, desperately, that she could understand how he could agree to it.

"Mai is loyal to the Fire Nation. She's loyal to her family… and her father has endangered all of that." He peered down at his hands where they twisted around his teacup. "She had to make a really difficult decision about what was right." Remembering, the firebender sat very still in the quiet moment that followed, now unaware of the soft sounds coming from the other room.

Though he noticed her movement out of the corner of his eye, Zuko was still surprised when Katara's dusky hands cupped around his. Looking up into her eyes, he saw a lot of things – sadness, affection, and, most surprising of all, understanding. "Then, she's doing a very brave thing."

It occurred to Zuko, as he met the waterbender's eyes and shared a smile with her, that she was not just talking about Mai.

After a moment, Katara bit her lip and frowned, withdrawing her hands once more. She lifted her tea and took a slow, thoughtful sip. "I still don't understand how she'll avoid the dishonor to her family when her father's actions come to light."

Zuko heaved a sigh and his brow rode high as he peered across the room, squinting in thought. "That's… actually the thing," he said. "Lord Bau Li's misdeeds will never be known to the public. For her complicity in this and future reparations, Mai had just one request." He met Katara's gaze. "She wants… the Blue Spirit to execute her father."

* * *

AN: As a final note to all you readers who were so worried that Mai might be pregnant... Oh, I had an evil cackle about that! It would definitely have been very dramatic, but I'm afraid that's too cruel, even for me. :D


	39. Chapter 39

AN: Thank you, reviewers! You are all wonderful, amazing beams of joy in my world - oh, the shivery joy-warmth! I hope you enjoy this one!

CuteGenius: Thank you! I'm so glad you liked it and I'm so glad to have stumbled across originality!

forever2yours: A very good point about the pace - the reason for it was my giddy desire to reach flirtation as soon as possible. When I started this story, I thought it would be... substantially shorter. In revision, I'll give that all due attention!

StaminaRose: (For your review on chapter 25) Really, it isn't that I don't *understand* the rules of bloodbending. I just chose to bend them. (I'm a rulebender!) The vein-closing thing was a bit of a stretch, yes. I'm sorry that I was unable to suspend your disbelief. As for the lunar restrictions, my thought was that Katara is stronger than Hama, therefore she would be able to use the technique with less help from the moon. The first use of bloodbending in this story (the attack on the watchman) is three days before the full moon (the night of Lo Wei's trap) and the ball is set to take place two days after the full moon. I don't like immortal badassery, either, and will be taking these concerns under consideration during revision.

swampophelia: Thank you! And thank you again for good measure!

Morna: An excellent suggestion! Don't worry - you'll meet him soon...

Kimberly T.: Once again, thank you for your wonderful thoughts! (And you kind of read my mind on Simple Misunderstanding - I hope you'll like the solution I've decided on, when I eventually get to it.) I'm so glad you're sticking around!

cinemascope08: Guess who *else* would have been royally pissed! :D (Also, sprinkles are duly noted.)

* * *

"She _knows_?" Zuko drew back from the table at the intense incredulity on the waterbender's face. Katara leaned forward, palms splayed on the wooden surface before her. "How could she know you're him? Did- did you tell her?"

"No! I mean, back when we were together, I tried to tell her about stealing the Avatar out from under Zhao's nose…" He smirked at the memory, but the expression quickly faded. "…but Mai never really wanted to hear about the things I did in exile. She just wasn't interested."

"Then how does she know, Zuko?"

The firebender shook his head slowly. "I don't think she does. I mean, she never gave any indication that she knew… She just said she wanted the Blue Spirit to do it and told me where and when he should meet her." He peered down at where his fingers tapped the sides of his cup. "She must have figured it out the same way her father did; maybe he wrote it down somewhere and she found it. Or maybe she found a record of his dealings with Lo Wei. I don't know."

Katara was staring at him, but the Fire Lord refused to look up. In the next room, the Sungi Horn hummed and squawked oddly while the drum marched steadily onward. "Zuko… how sure are you that this isn't another trap?"

His eyes shot up and he found her watching him with a furrowed brow. "Mai wouldn't have any part in it. She's loyal to the Fire Nation."

Worry tugged at the waterbender's eyes. "And to her family. Her father is part of her family. She… Zuko, she left you because he told her to, didn't she?"

That stung. It may have been true, but it still stung. The firebender scowled off at one side of the room and didn't respond.

Katara heaved a deep breath and withdrew her hands to her lap. "Sorry… that was… unkind. We're just going to have to be really careful – that's all I'm saying."

"That's another thing." Zuko turned his eyes back to the woman before him, speaking a bit more harshly than he intended to. "Mai must not be implicated. It will be conspicuous if the Blue Spirit is spotted with two companions instead of one."

She just stared at him for a second, as if frozen in her own ice. When she opened her mouth to speak, no sound emerged. Then, Katara tore her eyes away from him and locked them on the half-empty teacup before her. "You're just going to leave me here." Her voice was soft, stunned, as if the possibility had never occurred to her.

Zuko continued in a gentler tone, watching the waterbender closely. "It's only one night, Katara. I'll be back before the ball ends and it will all be over. Mai will get back on her ship as soon as the news arrives in the morning. She'll go to take control of her family's affairs and then we can-"

Her blue eyes snapped up to him and the firebender sat back from the burn of them. "You're just going to _leave_ me here!" On the table, the teacups rattled. "You're going to go out on probably the most dangerous mission you've undertaken with total trust in Mai, whose motives are questionable and who's given you reason _not_ to trust her, and you're just going to leave me behind because _three's a crowd_?"

"Katara, it's a good chance to clear suspicion-"

"Oh, no-no-no…" The waterbender waved a hand in mimicry of her shaking head, her lip curling in a mirthless laugh. Tea sloshed over the rim of her cup. "It's a good chance for Lord Bau Li to separate us and take you down while you're alone. It's a good chance for Mai to get another dagger in your back. Zuko, are you _blind_?"

The Fire Lord sat up a little straighter, held his head a little higher. His voice was quiet, cold. "Have you forgotten that I've been doing this for months without you? Do you think I _need_ you with me to have a chance at success?"

"I thought we were partners! We watch each other's backs – that's the deal! How can you just cut me out like this?"

"I'm not _cutting you out_." Zuko spoke through gritted teeth. "I need you to be here, Katara. It all has to be done a certain way or it won't work. If anyone notices that I'm not in the palace, people will have reason to suspect what I'm doing. If anyone connects Mai with her father's death, her claim as head of the Bau family will be forfeit. I-!" He cut himself off and took a deep breath, hanging his head. When he looked up again, he found the waterbender watching him, lips pursed. "Katara… Partners trust each other, too."

She blinked rapidly, expression thawing a measure. "I trust you, Zuko. I just don't trust Mai."

"Then trust my judgment of Mai."

Katara frowned and only stared at him, looking torn. Finally, she shut her eyes and nodded grimly. With a forceful look at the Fire Lord, she demanded, "You'll watch your back, though?"

Zuko mimicked her nod. "I'll be careful."

"Good." For a long moment, she just watched him with her worried eyes. Then, without warning, she shifted around the table to sit at his side, her thigh pressed to his. Zuko turned to face her just in time to catch her hug. Her arms looped around the back of his neck and it felt like her eye was pressed against his ear. He settled his arms around her, rubbing his flat palms against her back. Her breath puffed down the collar of his mantle. "Don't you dare do anything stupid, Zuko. If you get captured, I will never let you hear the end of it."

"I know you won't…" He tried to make this sound overly resigned, as if the burden of her reminders would plague him on into the Spirit World, but it came out as a contented sigh. The Fire Lord settled his cheek against the top of her head and allowed himself a little smile. It didn't matter; he'd never been very good at being funny, anyway.

After a while, Katara drew back and, though the expression on her face was still tinged with worry, her eyes locked with his and her tone was firm. "What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to be at the ball and make it look like I'm there with you."

"And just how am I supposed to do that?" She peered up at him drily, raising an eyebrow. "Do you have a twin I don't know about?"

Zuko took a deep breath. "Well, the rumors will do half the work, so we have that going for us…"

* * *

Katara listened to Zuko's plan with annoyance building clearly in her expression and, though she spent some moments with her face buried in her hands and said his name with the reproachful tone he had really only ever heard from his mother, she eventually accepted it.

Now, the only obstacle remaining was the door to the Southern Water Tribe suite.

Zuko stood in the corridor, staring at the wood and trying to remember exactly how Lin had snatched Katara from his side. Something about Earth Kingdom lace. The waterbender had patted him on the back, muttered what sounded like 'payback for this morning,' and strode away with the head serving woman.

For the remainder of his walk through the corridors, Zuko was extremely aware of the glances he caught, the way people seemed to clam up as he passed through hearing range. Though he was used to attention – he was the Fire Lord, after all – he wasn't at all used to the boldness. Nobles, even many who had seemed to previously respect him, neglected to hide their smirks and disapproval as he passed.

Of course, he had it coming. Spending the night with Katara so blatantly. Meeting with Mai so early in the morning. It didn't look like the behavior of a respected ruler. It didn't look honorable.

So, when he reached the door to the suite, Zuko hesitated and allowed himself to consider the kind of welcome he would be receiving from these men. He took the chance to brace himself. From the other side of the door, male voices raised in uproarious laughter. The firebender could easily pick out Sokka's lighter tones, wriggling like bait on a hook.

The Fire Lord squared his shoulders, raised a fist, and knocked.

To his immense relief, Sokka's face was the one that appeared in the open door. That relief was short-lived, though; the young man's expression shifted from surprise to a sly smirk and he spoke in an over-loud voice. "Why, if it isn't Fire Lord Zuko! Come on in!" He made a grand sweeping gesture towards the suddenly-quiet interior of the room. Beyond him, Zuko caught a glimpse of a number of tribesmen scattered around the room, including Hakoda, who sat at a low table. The chieftain did not look happy.

"Ah, actually, Sokka, I just wanted a word with you, if you don't-"

"Oh, but surely _His Highness_ wouldn't deny his friends and allies the opportunity to give back a little of his hospitality?" The lanky young man clamped a hand onto Zuko's shoulder and steered him through the door. He barely restrained himself from startling at the sound of it shutting behind him.

There was no possible escape.

This wasn't hospitality; this was incarceration. Zuko had been to jail. He knew the difference.

Around half a dozen men peered up at him and none of them smiled. Hakoda's frown was glacial and he slowly lowered the papers he had been looking at to the table before him. There was a man sitting against one wall, slowly sharpening a knife.

"You want some blubbered seal jerky?" Sokka held a leather sack out to him and gave it a little jiggle as if to tempt him. "Tastes just like home!"

"Uh, no, thank you…"

"Amongst our people…" Hakoda's voice was low, but it seemed to fill the room. "…it is considered disrespectful to refuse a freely-offered gift. Are you a disrespectful man, Fire Lord Zuko?"

The firebender clenched his jaw and, not looking away from the chieftain, stuck a hand into Sokka's bag of jerky. He pulled out a strip of the dark, woody meat and stuck it between his teeth. He hated blubbered seal jerky. It was like sucking on a wax-coated stick and trying to speak while eating it would make him look ridiculous.

"Isn't that tasty? I made it, myself. Added a little extra this-and-that to give it my signature flavor."

Actually, it tasted like fat and salt and, somewhere beneath those two main flavors, smoke. Zuko noticed that Sokka wasn't eating any, but decided to refrain from commenting on it. Rather, he shot the warrior a narrow-eyed look. "Delicious." He slurred slightly with the meat-stick bulging out one of his cheeks.

He thought he heard someone snicker, but everyone seemed to be holding a straight face. It was time to beat a hasty retreat.

"Shokka, I really do need to shpeak with you."

Again, there was that faint snorting sound. Zuko felt his face reddening and his frown building into a scowl. Of course, with the jerky poking out of the side of his mouth, it probably lacked its usual force as a tool of intimidation.

Sokka beamed and clapped him on the arm, guiding him towards the low table with a bit more strength than could be passed off as casual. "What's the rush? Sit down and relax with us, Zuko! Dad and I were just talking about Widow Terns – weren't we, Dad?"

Zuko didn't miss the upward tick at the corner of Hakoda's mouth. "So we were."

Sokka slung an arm around the firebender's shoulders, drawing him closer to the table. "Do you know about Widow Terns, Zuko?"

"No."

"Well, then you'll get a chance to learn something!" Practically shoving, now, the Water Tribe youth planted Zuko on the floor by the table, then plopped down next to him. "See, Widow Terns aren't like other terns - they live in small family groups. The males – fathers, brothers, and mates – feed the females while they sit on the eggs. They watch out for each other, you know?"

"Sure." Zuko gnawed at the piece of jerky obstructing his mouth. He didn't really know. In his years at sea, he'd had better things to worry about than what the birds were doing. Actually, he _still_ had better things to worry about and probably always would…

"When breeding season comes along, the young males range farther from their own families, trying to tempt females from other groups to start new colonies. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but usually nobody gets hurt." Sokka shrugged. "Usually."

"Sometimes, though…" Hakoda crossed his thick arms over his chest. "…there's a male who thinks too much of himself. Usually very flashy, but young and stupid. He flies around, mating left and right, and manages to impregnate more females than can comfortably live in his new family."

Zuko blinked and stopped the motion of his jaw. Something in the older man's stare was starting to make him think that this story wasn't actually about birds.

Hakoda went on. "The females are smart; they know a sinking ship when they're on one. So, when they realize their mate can't provide for all of them, they go back to their families and lay their eggs there, where they know they'll be safe."

Sokka's elbow dug into Zuko's side. "Here's the best part."

"The males of the returned females' families – let's call them the 'in-laws' – are understandably frustrated, suddenly having those extra mouths to feed. So, they all get together and chase down that stupid, young male who caused so much trouble…" Hakoda's eyes narrowed. "…and they make it so he won't ever cause trouble again."

Zuko sat very still, meeting the chief's cold stare. Slightly behind him and off to the right, that knife was still ringing against its stone.

"How's Mai, by the way?" Sokka's voice had a sharpness beneath the surface that was more startling than the sudden question.

The firebender choked on his seal jerky.

* * *

"Master Katara, please stop that – you'll rip a seam!"

"Are you sure you can't let this out a little more? I don't think I could bend in this… and I mean that in both senses of the word…"

Seamstress Yun's voice came to her from behind, the strain of the afternoon clear in her tone. "It's not for bending, Master Katara. It's also not for sitting, lying down, running, or swimming. It's for dancing, light snacking, and kissing-but-no-touching."

From her corner of the room, Lin cleared her throat.

"Not… Not that anyone is saying that you might be doing all of those things, Master Katara."

The waterbender tried again to lift her arms, but they would go no higher than about forty-five degrees from her body. She also couldn't cross her arms, for fear of splitting the back of the dress, and she couldn't take a full stride, much less climb down from the box Yun had hustled her onto. She was trapped in a body-shaped cage of red silk.

"You have such a lovely silhouette, Master Katara. And such delicate shoulders! You'll be a much sought-after dance partner, tonight!"

Katara frowned and tried to look over her shoulder at the seamstress, but the high neck of the dress kept her rigidly in line. "What dance is that? The penguin hop? I can't… _do_ anything."

"Such pretty ladies do not need to. Men will fall to their knees just to get you to look at them."

"And when I trip over them and can't get up off the floor on my own?"

The seamstress huffed enormously. "Most ladies would simply allow their many admirers to help them in such a situation, but I can see that this will not please _Master Katara_. I'll make a few minor alterations, since you clearly won't be happy otherwise."

Katara offered up a saccharine smile at the sound of threads being ripped. "Oh, thank you, Seamstress Yun. You're too kind."

The large woman grumbled something under her breath, but the waterbender – now that she could draw a full breath – wasn't listening. Nor did she listen as Lin coughed and Yun corrected her tone.

Though she had felt pretty clever about getting back at Zuko for his escape that morning, she regretted agreeing to submit to a second fitting, now. Certainly, the dress was lovely… but it was lovely the way that a venomous frog might be – lovely to look at, but closer contact was not to be desired.

She wondered how Zuko was getting on with Sokka and her father and hoped she might escape soon to go find out. This stillness and waiting was slowly driving her crazy; all she could do was think… and her thoughts were not comforting.

How could he go without her?

Really, Katara knew this wasn't a betrayal. She knew Zuko had good reasons for doing this the way he planned to and she knew he didn't think of it as replacing her with Mai. She was reasonably convinced that he knew what he was doing and that his trust in the noblewoman probably wasn't unwarranted.

Still, even knowing all of those practical reasons and facts and knowing Zuko would come back to her, Katara couldn't stop the fear and anger from boiling in her belly.

How could he go without her?

* * *

Zuko held the damp stick of jerky in one hand and coughed into the other.

There were a few low chuckles around the room as Sokka slapped his back, but they lacked true amusement. It was as if the tribesmen were chuckling just to remind him that they were there. As if he might have forgotten. Zuko's face was burning. They thought… Sokka thought…

Through watering eyes, he glared up at Hakoda. "Mai isn't _pregnant_!" His voice was a low rasp as he waved Sokka away. The other young man whacked him one more time for good measure before backing off.

"That's a lucky thing for you, firebender." The older man still frowned at him and Zuko was struck by the avoidance of his name and rank. He wondered how many times Hakoda had said those very words to Fire Nation prisoners during the war. He wondered just what had thrown him into the same category. "Now that you've entangled my daughter in your life, a surprise like that would be very disappointing to her. And therefore, it would be very disappointing to her family. Don't ever fool yourself into thinking that being the Fire Lord is enough to spare you the responsibilities of a man and a husband."

Hakoda uncrossed his arms and settled his hands on his thighs, raising his chin slightly, and Zuko was struck by the knowledge that this man loved Katara as fiercely as she loved him – the way a good father does. He looked in that moment like the sort of father Zuko had thought he had as a child…

But Ozai had detested him. And the man who sat before him now detested him, thought of him as just another firebender, not even worthy of a name. "Count yourself lucky," Hakoda said.

_Lucky_…

The words were out of Zuko's mouth before he fully thought them through. "Luck is for the weak."

Hakoda's eyes narrowed fractionally. Somewhere in the room, someone tried to stifle a snicker, but failed and was shortly joined by a few other amused tribesmen.

Zuko's eyes pinched shut the second he realized the context of what he'd said and how it could be interpreted. His good cheek was getting hot, only adding to the humiliation. When he looked up again, he did not meet the eye of the man before him. Instead, he turned to Sokka, who was working his way up to smirking like an idiot. To Zuko's disgust, that smirk didn't falter under his glare. "My lounge in ten minutes. I'm done playing games."

Then, not even noticing that he still clenched the slimy strip of jerky in one fist, the Fire Lord stormed from the room.

Laughter nipped at his heels.

* * *

Sokka looked a lot like Katara had when she heard this part of Zuko's plan. He stood near the windows with his palm pressed firmly over his eyes, frowning. Finally, he looked up at the firebender, expression dubious. "I guess I can't say 'no' since I still owe you pretty big for the wedding… but just know that I'm going above and beyond for you, here. There are some things that just…"

Zuko, ignoring the other man's shudder, nodded sharply and uncrossed his arms. "Good. Come by my quarters an hour before the ball – don't be late. We'll need time to prepare."

"Yeah, yeah… an hour early." Sokka scuffed his toe against the floor and sighed and, for a long moment, was silent. Then, he shot the firebender a speculative glance. "So, uh… Not even with Mai, huh?"

For a second, Zuko blinked in confusion. When Sokka raised a brow and that infernal smirk began again to spread across his face, the Fire Lord bristled and crossed his arms again. "I don't know what you're talking about."

The Water Tribe youth held up his hands as if to calm him, expression suddenly sober. "Hey, there's no shame in being inexperienced…"

"I am _not _inexperienced! Shut up!"

"Ah HAH! The guilty confession!" Sokka pointed a finger at him, grinning, then rubbed his hands together vigorously. "Now, come on and tell your brother-in-law-to-be all the dirty details…" His enthusiasm melted away at a thought. "…unless you did something with Katara. I don't even want to-"

Zuko, seeing his chance, smirked. "It was incredible, Sokka. Your little sister…"

"Aaaalalalaaa…!" The future chief of the Southern Water Tribe clamped his hands over his ears, shooting the Fire Lord a dark look.

Zuko settled his hands on his hips and waited, enjoying sweet victory with all of his considerable smugness spread across his face. Finally, when Sokka was sure it was over, he lowered his hands, frowning. "Not ever," he said.

"Agreed."

The warrior paused a beat before hitching up an eyebrow and crossing his arms. "So, if I can't ask about that, can I ask why you thought it was a good idea to tell Dad you were too strong-willed to make babies out of wedlock?"

Zuko flinched. "That's not what I said." _Not exactly_…

"Well… he said you were lucky Mai wasn't pregnant. You said – and I quote – 'luck is for the weak,' which, I guess could be taken several ways, but when you blushed and pretty much ran out of the room, your meaning got a lot clearer…"

"I didn't mean- Rah!" Zuko balled his fists at his sides and paced a few steps away. Whirling to face the tribesman, he slashed an arm through the air to emphasize his words. "Every time I take a step forward, Hakoda knocks me back! I just wanted to give him a reason to acknowledge me for a decent man. I'm _not_ just some firebender and I'm _not_ some stupid bird!" Sokka blinked. Zuko held out his hands, palms up, pleading. "What am I going to have to do to impress your father? Do I have to cut off my own hand? Give up my throne? What could I possibly do to convince him that I'm not his enemy?"

Sokka peered at him drily, one eyebrow arched. "Stop acting like one."

Zuko bared his teeth and took a few deep breaths, good eye twitching slightly. "What's that supposed to-?"

"Just think about it!" The tribesman held his hands out to his sides. "The Fire Lord hasn't always been Zuko, get it? A hundred years of your jerk ancestors hasn't exactly paved the road to Dad's heart."

The firebender relaxed slightly, but went on scowling.

Sokka continued, pointing at him with one finger as he made his case. "You _look_ like the Fire Lord, _dress_ like the Fire Lord, and _act_ like the Fire Lord. You drag Katara into this disgraceful engagement and she somehow ends up with a bruise on her face. Then, your ex-girlfriend pops up for mysterious reasons." Sokka shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. "This stuff doesn't even look good to me and _I'm_ your friend; I know you're a decent guy but I can't help but be a little worried for my sister."

Zuko crossed his arms and tipped his chin lower as his scowl deepened.

Sokka went on, bracing one hand on his hip and gesturing with the other. "But, see, to Dad, who lost Mom and friends and years of his life to war with the Fire Nation, the thought of giving up his daughter to a Fire Nation man – much less the Fire Lord, himself – is kind of a nightmare." He frowned thoughtfully, cupping his chin between thumb and index finger. "Still… I think he actually liked you before you got involved with Katara…"

"That's not helpful, Sokka." Zuko enunciated each word, scowling now at the floor before him. His eyes snapped back onto the other young man. "I won't give up Katara and I can't exactly quit being the Fire Lord."

Sokka shrugged. "Take a day off."

The firebender stared at the warrior for a long moment, then turned slowly away. With a snort, he collapsed on the sofa facing the windows and, rubbing his temple, scowled out at the garden. The sky was still overcast and the sun was a muffled glow over the western horizon. Some hours remained before dark, but not many.

He had missed all of his meetings, today. Granted, they had been mostly small affairs that went on with a notary in his place, but the abrupt awareness that this _was_ a day off for him was kind of depressing. Zuko was the Fire Lord whether he was doing what he was supposed to be doing or not.

Sokka flopped down beside him and propped his boots up on the low table before them. "Why does it matter so much, anyway? Dad's opinion won't change Katara's mind."

Zuko blinked and turned to look at Sokka, with his clear blue eyes and his wolf-tail. The Water Tribe man peered back at him, face impassive. "I…" He turned back to frown at the garden, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. It was easier to find the words when he didn't have to see the other man's reaction. "I guess I kind of hoped that my father-in-law would at least like me better than…"

..._and you, Zuko, you were just lucky to be born_...

After a long moment, he felt Sokka's hand descend on his shoulder more as a weight on his mantle than an actual touch. "Hey, don't worry. Dad'll come around. Katara likes you. I like you. Dad will like you, too."

Zuko snorted and cast him a sideways glance. "You mean he'll tolerate me when he gets tired of antagonizing me."

Sokka grinned. "It's not like getting you all worked up is fun, Zuko… well, maybe just a little, but that's not what this is about." He went on, despite the firebender's glare. "It's about testing your merit… and I guess it's about testing you as a leader, too. Think of it as a Southern Water Tribe tradition. Life is tough at the South Pole; there's no room in the tribe for someone who can't pull his or her share of the weight." Sokka shrugged. "So maybe he's going a _little_ harder on you than he might go on another man. It just means you have a bigger opportunity to prove your worth and your commitment."

Zuko frowned. He felt suspiciously as if Sokka was making this up in an effort to make him feel better. His eyes narrowed. "If he tests me with fistfights and challenges against my honor, how did he test Aang?"

The tribesman shot him a conspiratorial look. "You can't ever tell Katara this, but… Dad invited him to help butcher a seal during the big hunt last year." Sokka gestured with one hand as he tried to explain. "Dad _likes_ Aang… He wasn't actually _trying_ to drive him away – but, like I said, life's tough at the South Pole and Dad just wanted to see how far Aang would be willing to go to provide for the woman he loved. I guess seeing that poor little dead animal made him think."

Zuko peered at the younger man from the corner of his eyes, brow tilted in query. "Do you think Chief Hakoda would be impressed if I killed something?"

Sokka laughed and shook his head. "You're a bit old for the hunting tests - you won't get off that easy." After a quiet moment, the warrior punched the firebender in the arm. "But hey, on the bright side, you've got a chance to succeed where the Avatar failed. That would make you happy, wouldn't it?"

Zuko's frown deepened into a scowl. "Aang is a thirteen-year-old monk. There really isn't a lot of honor in being a better potential husband than a thirteen-year-old monk."

Sokka waved a hand off to one side, hitching his elbow over the back of the sofa. "Take your victories where you can get them, I say."

The Fire Lord only pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, thanks for the advice, Sokka."

* * *

AN: Not much of a cliffhanger, this time... but I guess this is like the silence before the storm. ^.-

Once more, I would *love* to hear what you guys think of what's going on in this chapter. I'm a little uncertain about it and feedback always helps me get a better handle on scenes that make me uncertain. Are the characters progressing naturally? Is the plot still moving forward at a comfortable pace? Was anything *just too weird*?

Also, thanks just for reading! :D


	40. Chapter 40

AN: Dear Reviewers, thank you for all of the time you give and all of the thought you put into telling me what is and isn't working! I am **so** grateful to all of you for your generosity! Remarks such as 'what does that line even **mean**?' are actually very helpful to me and highly valued - please let me know any time I slip up and become overly vague... Just because it makes sense in my head doesn't mean it's good writing. :P

Cel: Very good point! Maybe this chapter will make it a little clearer...? If not, please let me know!

grandiose6: An excellent point on the frequency of miscommunications - there **are **a lot of them. Especially in the past couple of chapters... and pretty much all of the fights between everybody have been based on some failure in communication... I know it's getting to be an old trick, but it kind of just *happens*. I will be weeding out the unnecessary ones when the story is finished, though. Thank you so much for your review!

snarkhunter: Thank you for that specific-point-that-doesn't-make-sense alert! I will try to fix that in the near future... (It was supposed to be Sokka, saying 'Don't ever tell me anything ever about you and my sister. Ever.')

Kimberly T.: Eek! I've been caught! I may have to go back and deal more in-depth with cultural views of execution at a later date. At the moment, I don't seem to be communicating much of that into the story and all of my energy is going into a general forward direction.

* * *

How could he _think_ he could go without her?

"Master Katara, please stop breathing that way – I can't stitch this together with you huffing like a- a… like that." Seamstress Yun's eyes darted toward the corner of the room occupied by Lin, then returned to the waterbender, beseeching. "Please? I might prick you, dear."

Katara, roused from her thoughts, refrained from heaving yet another annoyed sigh. "Sorry. I was just… Are you almost done?"

"Yes, yes. Just a few more touches to go and you'll be set. Now, try to be still…"

It was almost impossible. The longer Katara stood there, the more insufferable standing there became. The sounds of the needle poking through the silk and the thread grating against the fabric set her on edge. She restrained another sigh, twisting her jaw to one side. The longer she stood there, the more she thought.

And the more she thought about it, the less she liked Zuko's plan.

Sure, he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself and there were undeniable benefits to this scheme. The identities of the vigilantes would be buried by the deception; admittedly, that was important. But good as Zuko was, he didn't have eyes in the back of his head and, if the Blue Spirit fell, this plan would all be for nothing.

And the more Katara thought about it, the less she trusted Mai to watch the masked man's back. Even if the noblewoman was as loyal to Zuko as he thought she was – which Katara still found very hard to believe – that didn't mean she could be relied upon to protect the Blue Spirit. Perhaps she planned to trap and kill the vigilante and return with some claim about an accident.

After all, how trustworthy was she if she would guide her own father's executioner home?

No, Zuko certainly shouldn't go on this mission without Katara and, as soon as the waterbender escaped from the seamstress's lair – _again_ – she resolved to find him and firmly tell him that she had no intention of standing around, twiddling her thumbs at some stupid party while he risked his life.

"Alright, Master Katara!" Yun stepped back, a smile spreading wide across her round face. "That is the last of the adjustments I can do without starting over completely. How do you like it?"

The waterbender raised her arms, gave them a little wiggle to make the wide sleeves swing back and forth, and forced a grin. "It's great! I love it! Can I go, now?"

Yun, somehow sensing her lack of genuine enthusiasm, frowned and sighed. "Of course, Master Katara. Let me help you out of that – some of the needlework is quite delicate."

"Actually," Lin's tidy robes rustled as she rose to her feet from the stool she had been sitting on. "It may be more efficient if Master Katara stays in her dress and accompanies me to the royal salon to complete her preparations."

"But I need to go run an errand… and I'd really be more comfortable in my own clothes…"

Yun raised her hands, eyes wide. "Yes, it would really be best if Master Katara wore her other clothes while traipsing around the palace!" Katara shot the seamstress a narrow-eyed look.

Lin ducked her chin a degree. Her low, gentle voice offered nothing short of a command. "A humble servant would not seek to correct Ladies or honored artisans, but the ball begins in only two hours and Master Katara's appearance must be immaculate. There is no time for errands. There is no time for changing in and out of grubby day clothes. Master Katara, if you please-"

In the waterbender's mind, a door was closing. If she didn't escape now, she would be trapped with Lin until the ball began and Zuko would go on with his ridiculous plan without her. Her hands fisted at her sides. "I don't think so."

With that, Katara hopped off the box she had been standing on and made a dash for the door – or tried to. With the layers of silk wrapped around her legs and the delicate, smooth slippers on her feet, she could only dash so quickly. Really, it was more of an undignified scoot.

An ineffective, undignified scoot.

The two women followed her out the door and into the corridor, easily keeping up at a walk.

"Master Katara, please! The seams won't hold against the strain!"

"Master Katara, a humble servant would never wish to undermine a Lady's judgment, but it is most inauspicious-"

"Don't care!" The waterbender slashed a palm back over her shoulder and continued her escape. "Lin, I'll meet you in the salon as soon as I take care of business. Yun, I won't damage the dress if I can help it."

"But, Master Katara…"

She stopped and turned a fierce eye onto the older serving woman. "If a humble servant wishes to work in her Lord's best interest, she will let me do what I need to do, now."

Lin blinked back at her, for an instant too stunned to don her humble manner. Then, she offered a short bow and, in a voice too low for even Yun to catch, uttered, "As my Lady commands."

Katara watched her for a moment longer, waiting for the other foot to fall, but it never did. Then, she turned on her heel and hurried on.

_Scoot-scoot-scoot-scoot-scoot_...

When she reached the Southern Water Tribe suite, Katara could hear the tribesmen laughing from out in the corridor and, for a moment, she was thrown from her mission. Her mind flooded with a pleasant image of the men of her family sitting in a circle with Zuko, sharing the warmth of good company. She pictured the firebender with that sweet, flattered tilt to his brow, his chin slightly lowered with the pleasure of being accepted, and she pictured her father smiling at him with that glimmer of pride he sometimes had when he looked at his own children. The image made her heart speed up and a smile spread over her lips. Upon entering, she was disappointed to find that Zuko and Sokka weren't even in the room.

It was the abrupt end of the laughter, though, that really made all of her happy feelings vanish.

"Katara!" Hakoda smiled at his daughter from the other side of the low table, but his brow furrowed in confusion. "I see you're dressed up for Iroh's ball, already – are you that excited?"

She pulled up short, peering around at all the amused faces. "Ah, no… Well, I mean, I'm not exactly enthusiastic about this whole… thing… and I'm definitely not excited about this… ridiculous get-up… but they wouldn't let me change." She half-smiled and tugged at one hip of the skirt – there was very little slack to grip – and then shook her head dismissively. "Anyway, have you seen Zuko?"

A few chuckles rose, but were quickly stifled. The waterbender's eyes darted from one smirking face to another. "What's so funny?" Despite the question, she suspected she had a good idea of 'who' if not exactly 'why.' Her stomach soured as the happy family in her fantasy turned into something less optimistic.

"Old men's jokes," Bato said, rubbing his palm over his face to hide the lingering grin. Katara noticed he was still holding the whetstone in his other hand, but that the knife now sat on the floor beside him. He must have been laughing very hard to lay it aside so carelessly.

"Uh huh." Katara arched a brow. When she was little, she had come to understand that 'old men's jokes' fell into two categories – things she wouldn't understand and things that old men did not want to explain to curious little girls. It annoyed her that she would still receive this explanation as an adult, but she didn't care to press the point immediately; she had a mission. Katara turned her frown back on her father. "Zuko was on his way here to find Sokka when I saw him last. Did he stop by?"

Hakoda cleared his throat and forced a serious face. "Yes. He had a little seal jerky and we discussed animal behavior before he left for his lounge." His eyes flicked to the side for an instant as someone snorted. When he went on, his voice had the subtle building-up tone that Sokka's did when a bad joke was in the works. "But I suspect the Fire Lord wasn't comfortable…" The chieftain hesitated and his lips tightened, fighting the grin as it spread. "…consorting as he was with such _weak-willed_ men!"

The room exploded with laughter. Katara looked around, wondering what sort of madness had gripped her people. Her father had a hand clamped over his belly and was wiping his eyes. The two old hunters in one corner had matching white grins. Bato was slapping his thigh, gasping.

"_I'm_ weak-willed – my wife'll tell you all about it!"

"Did you see? …turned as red as his robes!"

Katara didn't have time for this – she should be making her way to Zuko's lounge with all haste – but she didn't much care for the impression she was getting of what had happened, here. Clearly, Zuko had had an embarrassing experience and was now the butt of some colossal joke. A colossal 'old men's' joke… A memory popped into her head of Gran-Gran chiding three little boys for teasing a fourth and it was as if instinct took over.

The waterbender crossed her arms and, when the laughter began to quiet down, she spoke in an annoyed tone. "You know, amongst firebenders, self-control is a great virtue."

The hunters in the corner thought this was riotously funny.

Katara pushed on, frowning deeply now. "For a firebender, self-control is the difference between lighting the logs in the hearth and burning one's own house to the ground. I can't imagine one good reason why you would make fun of Zuko for having restraint. It is a part of what makes him such a good man."

The room was quiet. The amusement had faded from Hakoda's face and his brows rode a bit high and Katara became aware that she had never spoken out this way against the men of her village. She had given her opinion when asked and had pointed out facts that others seemed to overlook, but she had never publicly taken grown men to task for their behavior.

But then, Katara was a grown woman, now, and had every right to speak as an adult of the tribe.

Tipping her chin slightly upward and drawing a deep breath – as deep as the dress allowed her – she went on. "As Ambassador to the Fire Nation, it is my duty to aid in understanding between our peoples. I can tell you every detail I know about their culture and values but you must each decide for yourselves whether or not you can respect the Fire Nation as our ally. I can accept that some of you may never be able to." She shook her head slowly, her tone sharpening. "But like any betrothed woman, I won't allow you to ridicule the man I intend to marry. You shame me as well as him – and none of you should have trouble remembering that, since it's the way of _our_ people."

The waterbender turned on her heel and shuffled back towards the door – _stupid_ narrow Earth Kingdom skirt – but stopped when her father spoke.

"Katara…" She turned to face him. Hakoda peered at her, his brows drawn together and his eyes searching. "We meant no disrespect to you… or to the Fire Lord, really. This situation is uncomfortable and stressful to all of us. The joking was only… mostly intended as good-natured fun – something to diffuse the tension once the Fire Lord had left."

The waterbender released a breath and relaxed her posture slightly, but was not entirely convinced. "That's a relief to me, Dad. But try to remember that Zuko isn't one of our people… What may seem like good-natured teasing to Water Tribe men may be an affront to the honor and dignity of a Fire Nation man."

Hakoda nodded his understanding and offered a half-smile.

Katara smiled back. "Now, I really have to go. I'll see you all at the ball, tonight, won't I?" There were some grumbles, some waving of hands. Nobody would meet her eye. The waterbender grinned. "Oh, it's not all that bad, is it? It'll be just like the time you masqueraded as a Fire Navy crew."

"Except," Bato grumbled, shoving his knife back in its sheath. "There won't be the reward of a sneak-attack at the end to keep up morale."

* * *

Once she had managed to scoot all the way through the palace and into the royal wing, Katara was very disappointed to find Zuko's lounge empty. She stood in the corridor for a long while, mentally listing the many possible places he might have gone and trying to decide which one would be the most likely – because Katara did not want to go all the way back to the guest wing with her tiny steps to check Iroh's suite and then have to come all the way back to check Zuko's quarters or conference rooms or…

The waterbender turned and began the short walk to his office.

She knew she probably shouldn't go. Katara didn't really have time for distractions and, more importantly, she wasn't sure how much Mai knew or how much she, herself, was supposed to know as Zuko's intended. She wasn't even sure that confirming that she _was_ his intended would be wise and letting slip her own knowledge of the Blue Spirit could lead to disastrous results.

But she had to see the noblewoman again, had to look her in the eye, knowing what she now knew. She had to listen for the slightest hint of a lie, the mildest warnings of a plot about to unfold.

…because how trustworthy was a woman who would lead her own father's executioner home?

Katara passed the door four times before actually going in, which was a little funny, considering that she'd kicked that same door in just a few hours ago. The waterbender didn't really feel like laughing, though.

When she finally entered the room, she heralded her coming with a soft rap and poked her head inside. "Mai? Do you have a minute?"

The noblewoman sat in exactly the same place she had been when Katara last saw her, only now there was a new tray on the desk before her with a fresh pot of tea. A plume of steam escaped from the spout and a half-empty cup rested between Mai's pale hands. She didn't turn to face the Water Tribe woman.

"Sure," she said, her voice flat. "I have another half-hour at least before Lin gets a suite prepared for my stay. She's busy today, I guess."

Katara slipped into the room and shut the door softly behind her. "Yeah, there's a ball tonight."

"So I heard. If anyone asks, I'll be in my room, moping… over Zuko not taking me back, of course."

With a deep breath, Katara walked slowly to the chair angled towards Mai's in front of the desk, softening her footfalls to preserve the stillness of the room. It was only when she reached the chair that she remembered that she couldn't sit down, so she stood behind it with her hands settled side-by-side on its back. "He told me… what you've decided to do."

The noblewoman only stared out the window at the growing gloom as evening came on and the clouds rolled in. "So, now that you know I'm just here to commit patricide, we can be friends again?"

Katara blinked. Mai's tone was so perfectly smooth and controlled, it was difficult to tell whether she was being sarcastic or not, but she could still hear the echo of strain in that voice. And the waterbender remembered then what Zuko had said…

_She had to make a really difficult decision about what was right._

Agreeing to that had been so much easier when she was looking into Zuko's scarred face, when she was thinking of Zuko's difficult decision. It wasn't that Katara didn't care about what Mai was going through. It was just that the noblewoman's struggle had floated to the back of her mind, pressed there by the waterbender's desperate need to insure Zuko's survival.

Now, though, Mai's experience came bobbing to the front and center of Katara's thoughts. She was suddenly very, very ashamed. After a moment of silent floundering, the waterbender managed to speak. "I… Mai, I'm so sorry it's come to this."

The noblewoman blinked languidly and turned her head, settling her eyes on Katara. "But you're not that sorry, are you? You're glad I'm just here to borrow Zuko's dog and not to further my father's dishonor with assassination attempts." Her eyes narrowed fractionally. "Or to instigate some dramatic reconciliation."

The Water Tribe woman met those golden eyes for a long moment and tried to remember to keep breathing. It was true – and that frightened her. Was it really better that Mai should conspire to murder her own father than to take Zuko away? Guilt blazed in Katara's chest. She swallowed, trying to dampen the burn of it, and finally tore her eyes away, frowning down at her hands where they settled against the arched back of the chair. "I would be lying if I said that wasn't at least partly true… but I'm still very sad for your situation. I can't possibly understand what you're going through – what you must already have gone through to think that this is the best choice-"

"It's the only choice."

Katara looked up at Mai's hard tone and, for an instant, caught the flicker of her eyes. Then, the noblewoman turned again to stare out the window, leaving the waterbender watching her aristocratic profile, her exemplary posture.

"When I was a little girl, my father took me outside of the city for a day." Mai spoke softly, her tone belying a heart-deep fondness that seemed almost jarring as it came from her dark, rigid form. "We had a picnic lunch prepared and rode in the palanquin over to the western side of the island. He called it 'going on an adventure' and, even though we spent the entire time surrounded by his guards, I pretended we were going off into the wilds of some unknown continent – just me and my father." The tiniest smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, then faded away. "I was probably four, because I was five when he started bringing me to play with the Fire Lord's children. We didn't go for palanquin rides anymore after that."

After a frozen instant, Katara couldn't hold back her disbelieving scoff. "You aren't seriously doing this because he- he didn't pay enough attention to you as a kid, are you?"

"No." Mai snapped her eyes back on the other woman, lips tightening. "I'm doing this because he has been stealing and lying and buying murders to hide his treachery, because he has betrayed the trust of the people he governs and shamed himself with his greed. I'm _doing this_ because he has dragged our entire family name, everything that I have worked for in my life, into a position of dishonor from which it could take the _rest_ of my life to recover." Her eyes narrowed slightly and her voice softened. "My father groomed me from childhood to become Fire Lady and then demolished all of that to cover his crimes. My brother is four this year. I will not stand by and watch him raise Tom-tom to be his next pawn. His death, condoned by the Fire Lord, is the only honorable choice."

Katara watched, speechless, as Mai's fierce expression melted back to the mild boredom that was her norm. With another lazy blink, she looked again out the window. Rain was beginning to fall, a mist that tickled the edge of the waterbender's perception, but she hardly noticed.

In the Southern Water Tribe, grief had several forms. There was the grief that howled in the dark and pretended to be wind, but there was also the grief that lingered in empty corners of the tent that had not always been empty. There was also a sort of grief that hid in one's own shadow and it could be months or years before that grief was revealed to be as much a part of the griever as skin or voice or heartbeat.

There was the grief, as well, that lingered in new weapons and under the bed of every aging loved one – a grim and determined grief for things that would inevitably come.

Watching Mai, now, Katara could feel that grief. Though she did not know Lord Bau Li, herself, and she was not prepared to judge whether he truly deserved to die, she could see the way Mai's fingers nestled close around the cup in her lap, clinging to its warmth, and knew she was not looking at a woman plotting murder, but at a woman fleeing to her last viable option.

Mai's pale, sharp chin dipped slightly and her yellow eyes fluttered shut. "But I'm thinking now of that adventure in the palanquin… because that was the day he was the best father to me and that is the day I want to remember him by."

Katara watched her for a long while and did not comment on the way she seemed to torment herself, the way she dangled that happy memory before her own eyes just hours before it would all be snatched away, permanently. She recognized that she might never fully understand what she was witnessing, now.

The waterbender followed the noblewoman's gaze out the window and, for a while, they watched the world darken together.

* * *

"So? How do I look?"

Zuko took a few steps back, crossed his arms, and frowned at the Water Tribe warrior. "Well… if you don't speak or do anything too stupid, this could still work." He narrowed his eyes. "And remember that you _cannot eat_. You lift that mask to stuff something in your mouth and the whole game is over."

"Yeah, no eating. Fine." Sokka waved a hand dismissively and, with the white gloves he was wearing, it almost looked like a regal gesture. Almost. "You know, this whole theme is really impractical – everybody needs new clothes and, I mean, that's just _wasteful_. Did you tell your uncle that? Because it's true."

Zuko heaved a sigh and adjusted the blue mantle on the other man's shoulders. Its width conveniently concealed Sokka's slightly smaller frame, but something about it just looked… wrong. Maybe it was the rounded shoulder plates or the white moon insignia. The firebender backed away and looked again, tilting his head to one side and speaking absently. "I can't tell Uncle anything when he gets ideas like this into his head. He just gets obsessed and refuses to hear reason."

Sokka raised a hand to stroke the chin of his mask – a traditional Water Tribe design to honor the ocean spirit in shades of black and blue, complete with a hood designed to look like waves. "Hm… Obsessive. Unreasonable. Sounds familiar – hey, does that run in the family?"

"Stop slouching. Hold your head up."

"Well, maybe my posture would be better if I wasn't baking alive!" With his clumsy, gloved fingers, Sokka tried to tug down the high neck of the robe beneath his mantle.

Zuko swatted his hands away and leaned in close to the mask's face so that the tribesman could get a good look at his curled lip as he spoke slowly and clearly. "Remember – you _cannot_ show skin. So think about icebergs and get over it."

"This is the last time I let myself become indebted to you, Zuko." Sokka folded his arms over the blue silk robes that were so clearly the work of Fire Nation tailors, but just as clearly inspired by Water Tribe fashion. "I don't care what happens – if I'm in a desert about to die of thirst and you come along with a canteen, just let me fry in peace, because I don't want another favor from you _ever_ again…"

"Fine. Now, how are you at dancing?"

Sokka's squawk was muffled by the mask, but it was still loud. "What? You didn't say anything about dancing, before!"

Zuko gaped at him, incredulous. "It's a ball. There'll be dancing. Don't tell me you can't dance!" He drew a breath and laid a hand over his eyes, willing himself to calm down. "Okay. That's okay. I don't like dancing, anyway. It won't be suspicious if you don't do much dancing."

"How does 'no dancing' sound?"

The firebender bared his teeth. "You have to dance at least once with Katara. It's very important that- Stand up straight!"

"I _am_ standing up straight!" The warrior jabbed himself in the chest with one thumb. "But all the good posture in the world isn't going to fool anyone into thinking I'm Fire Nation royalty when I get on the dance floor."

Zuko's eyes narrowed and he glared at the other man for a silent moment before grabbing him.

This was basically how it came to pass that, when Katara arrived in Zuko's quarters, she found the Fire Lord and her dressed-up brother dancing around the enormous bed. The instant the door shut behind her, Zuko stood frozen with one hand tucked into Sokka's and his other hand resting on the Water Tribe man's shoulder. He was suddenly much less aware of Sokka's white-gloved hand where it laid against his hip.

"…wait, so is it left-left-right or back-left right? Zuko?"

Katara only grinned and tried to cross her arms – only to give up and brace her hands on her hips when her dress restricted her movements. "I'm glad at least you two are getting along."

"Katara!" Sokka leapt away from him as if he'd burst into flames… which wasn't all that far from happening, actually. The dress Katara was wearing hugged her curves from its high neck to its narrow hem, emphasizing her trim waist in the way of Water Tribe clothing, yet defining her slender shoulders in a way that screamed Fire Nation refinement. And it was all so very… red. Her skin seemed to glow against the silk and her brilliant blue eyes gleamed with amusement.

Zuko realized abruptly that his hands were still hovering in the air in front of him where Sokka had been seconds ago. He also became aware of the Water Tribe man's haughty pose and complaints against his sister. "You can't just run around bursting in on people! This is private man-time! In which men privately do man-things!"

"Private man-things, huh?"

Zuko, having finally torn his gaze from Katara, pointed a finger at Sokka. "_That's_ good posture."

"Don't get distracted from the point, Zuko – if she thinks she can just barge in any time, you'll never have any privacy, ever. Trust me on this!"

Katara only rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the firebender. Her smirk faded and she bit her lip as her eyes flicked over his black clothing. "Are you absolutely sure I can't come with you? I could pretend to be sick and hide out from Lin until she gives up – I mean, I know she's determined, but I think, with a little patience, I could-"

Zuko went to her, drawn by the unfamiliar _need_ in her expression. He couldn't quite stop his hands from gently cupping her cool face as he peered into the pools of her eyes. "Katara…" He grasped for the words, the perfect words. "I would never leave you if I could help it… but there's no way anyone will believe that Sokka is me if you're not with him."

"Hey! I'm doing my best, here. No appreciation!" Zuko was vaguely aware of the other young man flinging his arms up in the air, but didn't turn to look.

Katara seemed not to notice her brother. She settled her hands over Zuko's and sighed as a frown overtook her. "I was serious about you getting caught. If I have to go all the way to Ember Island in the dark and the rain and break into Bau Li's house and fight all of his guards and _then_ drag you out and put you back together, I'm not going to let you forget about it. Not ever."

Zuko smiled faintly and slid his thumb down her cheek. "I won't get caught, Katara. It's all planned out. You really don't have to worry like this…"

"Yes, I do." She said it firmly and, as she shifted her hands to his face, Zuko was vaguely aware of Sokka chiming in.

"Yeah, she does, actually. If Katara wasn't constantly worrying about her friends and family, the fabric of the world as we know it would probably start to unrav- Oh, gross!"

Her lips were cool and light against his, like drinking from a spring, and Zuko found his hands burrowing into her hair, pulling her braid askew. His ears were full of the rush of this contact, the soft sound of her sighing breath, so it was no wonder he didn't exactly understand Sokka's shrill protests.

And it was no wonder Zuko didn't hear Lin knock before ducking into his room. It was only when he drew away from Katara that he saw her, standing by the door and peering back and forth between the Fire Lord and his decoy.

* * *

AN: Thanks again for reading! I have to go sleep, now! o.O


	41. Chapter 41

AN: Thank you, reviewers! You make it happen - you really do! Enjoy!

* * *

The room was silent as Lin glanced from one young person to another, expression shuttered. Katara stood perfectly still, hardly daring to draw breath. Beside her, Zuko seemed just as stunned and made no effort at all to conceal his plain black clothing or his unbound hair.

The waterbender realized it was up to her to salvage the situation. "Ah, Lin! Thank Yue you've arrived! We… need your help with this outfit." With a few quick, short steps, Katara came to stand beside the serving woman and held out an arm toward her thankfully silent brother. "Have you, er, met the Fire Lord's new clothing tester, uh… Wong… Fu?"

In her peripheral vision, she saw Zuko pinch his eyes shut and clamp his mouth into a line, but Katara went on smiling hopefully at Lin. A furrow had formed in the older woman's brow and her mouth curved slightly downward, looking almost dismayed. "I have not, Master Katara. It is peculiar that a servant, particularly one with such poor posture and so unusual a name, should slip past my notice."

Katara swallowed and forced a grin, speaking loudly to cover Sokka's grumbles. "Yes! Well! Wong Fu was recently working as… a fool! At the carnival." She went on quickly to hide the increase in grumble volume. "See, he didn't like being a fool, even though he was really good at it, so I told him I would try to find him some work while I was here at the palace and, uh, when the Fire Lord told me he wasn't sure he liked his costume for tonight-" She shot Zuko a desperate glance. He blinked, eyebrow riding high. "-I said 'well, why don't you hire Wong Fu to just come up to the palace and model it for you?' and he did and so here we are! With Wong Fu."

Lin was watching Katara, now, with that almost-dismayed expression on her face. The waterbender smiled a little wider, tilting her head to one side and shrugging. Her eyes flicked to Zuko, who stood rigidly with that expression of exaggerated aristocratic boredom hooding his eyes – as if he ever wore that expression when he _wasn't_ trying to get away with something. She could feel sweat trickling in the channel down her spine and it wasn't all from the intense scooting it had taken to get her to this room. Any second now, the serving woman would challenge her lie. Any second.

Still wearing her faint frown, Lin heaved a sigh and crossed the bedroom to Sokka. With seasoned hands, she adjusted the mantle on his shoulders and began a series of prods and shoves that forced the warrior's shoulders back and head high. The robe nearly brushed the floor, but she somehow instinctively knew to jerk it up a few inches to reveal his pigeon-toed footing. She gave a derisive huff and glared up at the mask until Sokka shifted his feet into what she clearly felt was a more dignified position. Then, she backed away and folded her hands into her sleeves.

"Walk."

The Water Tribe man took a few steps before Lin's voice lashed at him.

"Walk as if you are the Fire Lord. You are no good as a model of His Majesty's wardrobe if you cannot display his clothing with some modicum of realism."

Sokka threw his shoulders back farther and stuck his front leg straight out in a strut that Katara recognized as the 'successful hunting trip' walk. Lin was not impressed. "The Fire Lord is a man braced by pride and weighted with responsibility – not a gangly, over-confident buffoon. Try again."

Near the door, Katara leaned closer to Zuko and pitched her voice low so that it would not carry across the room. "I can't believe that actually worked."

The firebender shot her a sideways glance. "I can't either. Something about this doesn't feel right…"

"No." Lin's tone betrayed more emotion than Katara had ever heard from her. Frustration, mostly. "The Fire Lord moves with dignity and competence. He would not just blindly step forward as if certain the world will catch him. His Majesty knows the dangers of the court, that one rumor about one over-reaching stumble could lead to assassination plots." Her voice was perhaps a little louder than it needed to be to instruct Sokka. "The Fire Lord is never careless. The Fire Lord unfailingly wears the weight of his mantle as the honorable burden it is. As the last worthy scion of his line, His Majesty is painfully aware that he is the _only_ one who can redeem his house and his Nation. Stand up straight!"

Katara saw it happening, but was helpless to stop it. The Water Tribe warrior grew increasingly tense as Lin's instructions went on and, finally, when she jabbed the forehead of the mask with two hard fingers, he snapped.

Sokka stepped back and pointed a finger in Lin's face. "Look, lady, if you don't like the way I do things, you can just-"

With startling quickness, Lin smacked his hand away, tucked her own hands back into her sleeves, and went on glaring unflinchingly up at the mask. "His Majesty knows how to treat his servants with the proper respect. He has learned this lesson as he has learned many other lessons – with extreme difficulty – and will never forget. As his _clothing tester_, you must not forget, either. Now, _walk_."

Katara watched as Sokka stalked around a bit and Lin pointed out more things he was doing wrong. Beside her, Zuko shifted from foot to foot, but the waterbender's attention was turning inwards.

Perhaps she could convince Lin to leave the room with her under the pretense of needing help with some grooming-related task. In theory, the serving woman should be so pleased that Katara was willing to submit to Fire Nation customs that she might agree to leave before Zuko tried on the costume himself and Lin had the opportunity to pick out subtle differences in the way the clothing hung from the firebender.

And before she had the chance to see that Sokka's face was under that mask.

Lin, at last, had run out of criticism – not that she had given up. Like a hawk, she watched the warrior-turned-model stroll in a steady, confident circle and stand with his chest thrust forward at a moderate degree. Without a congratulatory word to Sokka, the serving woman turned toward Zuko and Katara, her head lowered in the proper way and her voice again low and calm. "Does the garment please His Majesty?"

Zuko paused, though whether in thought or hesitation was difficult to say. "It is acceptable to me."

"Would the Most Honorable Lord like to try on the garment, himself?"

Katara held up one finger. "Ah, actually, Lin, I wondered whether you might accompany me to the royal salon. I – ha! – I don't think I even know where it is, exactly, and I would like to, uh… have my hair…" She crossed her arms and waved one hand as she searched for the word.

Beside her, Zuko rubbed the back of his neck. "Styled?"

"Yes! That!" Katara grinned at the firebender before looking back to Lin, who was still gazing steadily at the floor. The waterbender was encouraged, though; she was fairly sure she caught the slightest lengthening of the serving woman's crows' feet.

Lin's eyes darted up to the Fire Lord for an instant before lowering again to the floor and Zuko straightened reflexively. "Ah, yes. Go with Katara to the royal salon."

"Of course, Fire Lord, Master Katara. It would be a humble servant's honor to be of assistance to her Lord's guest." As Lin returned to the door and opened it for the Water Tribe woman, then stood to one side in patient attendance, Katara allowed herself a sigh of relief. Zuko would have a chance at his stupid plan, after all.

Great.

She peered up at him and tried very hard to not think of this as a good-bye, but could not help the tightness of her throat as she swallowed. "I'll… see you later, then."

Zuko smiled and, bending, placed a light kiss on her lips. "Yeah. Later."

Sokka made a disgusted sound and crossed his arms over his chest. Katara pretended he wasn't there. With a final look into those warm yellow eyes, she turned away.

Before Lin pulled the door shut behind her, Katara heard her speak softly one final time.

"Should the Most Honorable Lord find himself missing some object about which he is hesitant to ask, he should check the third shelf down on the right in his wardrobe." Something in her tone made the waterbender pull up short in the corridor and turn back to see Zuko's confused blinking. Lin, still peering at the floor, went on. Her voice was so low that Katara almost couldn't hear her, even from just feet away. "A humble servant would of course never bother her Lord with her opinions, but His Majesty may wish to think more carefully about where he leaves incriminating items… unless he wishes to implicate his fiancé as some sort of vigilante…"

Katara's eyes met Zuko's over Lin's bowed head and she saw her panic mirrored there for an instant before he whipped around to stare at the table that still held her neatly-arranged possessions.

In her head, Katara heard the clatter of the Blue Spirit mask as it fell amongst her things.

Lin went on. "…which, of course, is laughable." The serving woman bobbed her head a little lower. "Please forgive a humble servant for so much as suggesting so ridiculous a notion."

It seemed to take Zuko a long moment to recover, but, finally, he coughed out words. "Yes. Ludicrous." He jabbed a finger out towards the corridor. "Go, now. And count yourself lucky that I am in a merciful mood today."

"Yes, Fire Lord Zuko. Thank you, Fire Lord Zuko."

Lin bowed repeatedly as she left the room, drawing the door shut behind her. Out in the corridor, she straightened and stood before the slack-jawed, staring waterbender. Katara's voice was tiny, hardly more than a breath. "You… You- you…"

The serving woman spoke over her with a soft-but-firm tone and, though her eyes only flashed up to meet the younger woman's for an instant, her calm expression somehow exuded a victorious crow. "Now, Master Katara, the royal salon is right this way…"

The waterbender was too stunned to do anything but scoot down the corridor and try not to steal glances at Lin, who followed a step behind.

* * *

"You know, I used to think Katara was bossy, but _that_ woman is in a whole other class…"

Zuko wasn't listening to Sokka. He strode past the costumed Water Tribe man without a glance and threw open the door to his wardrobe, yanked a stack of folded shirts from the third shelf down, and stared into the blue-and-white grin of the mask hidden beneath.

A lot of things ran through his head in the moments he spent frozen to that spot. In the background, Sokka's voice kept coming, but it was as if he was speaking from far, far away.

She knew. Lin knew. In the back of his mind, Zuko had always suspected that she would figure him out eventually, but he'd never guessed that it would be because he was stupid enough to leave the mask lying out in the open for her to find. Had any of the other servants seen it? Were they gossiping about the vigilante Fire Lord even as he planned this diversion? Was it all in vain?

"Hey, Jerkbender!"

Zuko frowned and looked back over his shoulder at Sokka, who was waving his arms out at his sides in a call for attention. When the firebender finally looked at him, the warrior relaxed and propped one hand on his hip.

"Much as I hate to interrupt – or actually even bring this up at all – we have less than half-an-hour and I still don't know if it's left-left-back or… Wait, was it left-left-right?"

Zuko turned back to the wardrobe for a beat so that Sokka wouldn't see the frustration and despair creasing his face. "Back-left-right. Is it really that hard for you to remember?"

"Hey, compared to this, Water Tribe dances are easy; there's none of this 'knowing the steps' crap. You just kind of go with it and either you've got it or you don't."

As the firebender watched Sokka's enthusiastic-but-uninspiring demonstration, he heaved a sigh. There would be no changing of the plan, now, and worrying was pointless. If there was suspicion amongst his household, tonight's scene should be enough to banish it to the backs of his servants' minds.

Except, of course, for Lin, who had seen his decoy and who was difficult to fool at the best of times, anyway. Knowing what she knew, she would easily see through the deception. As with the not-quite-scandal of the Chit Tso tea, though, Zuko knew that Lin would cut out her own heart before she let this secret cross her lips.

* * *

Katara was fairly sure that what she was currently experiencing could be termed blackmail.

"Master Katara, would you prefer the lilac or the lavender scent?"

"No, Chi. Master Katara will have the honey-butter scent." Lin leaned into her field of vision, not quite able to keep her eyes properly lowered, since the waterbender lay on her back in the hair-washing station. All the same, the serving woman still had that pleased look just under the calm surface of her face. "It is the Fire Lord's favorite."

The Water Tribe woman narrowed her eyes, but did not comment. It seemed Zuko had a great many little preferences when it came to _his lady's_ grooming. The Fire Lord allegedly liked his lady's feet scrubbed with lemon sugar, so Katara gritted her teeth and let a determined servant scrub her feet until they were almost raw. The Fire Lord enjoyed the scent of honey-butter face cream, so Katara clamped her eyes shut and submitted to the dabbing and rubbing and the weight of grease on her skin.

In fact, the waterbender suspected that Zuko had no real interest in the lemony freshness of her feet. She had a sneaking suspicion that the accursed phrase 'it is the Fire Lord's favorite' actually meant 'I like it and you are currently in no position to decline.' Her mind was buzzing with awareness of Lin – cunning, commanding Lin, who could give her up in a heartbeat, if she so chose. Katara let the thought simmer behind her stoic frown; there she was, the Red Demon, captured (yet again in her underwear) by a bunch of humble servants after a rousing bout of beautifying torture.

When the servants had finished washing and combing her hair, they led the waterbender to another part of the salon, where there was a chair set up before a vanity. Katara stared at her own face, tight-lipped and furrow-browed, until Lin appeared behind her.

Her expression told nothing of her thoughts and her posture was as humble and proper as ever, but when the serving woman held up the object in one of her hands, Katara's eyes bulged. Lin held a string of red crystal beads.

"No."

"No, Master Katara?"

"No, Lin." Their eyes met in the mirror and the serving woman only blinked, but it looked to Katara like a challenge. Mindful of the other servants moving about the room, the waterbender pursed her lips and went on in a level tone. "As a woman of the Water Tribe, I will bead my own hair with the traditional beads of my people – blue shell."

Lin paused a beat, blinked again, and drew a breath before speaking. "I thought you were fond of _red_… Master Katara."

The waterbender recognized the threat, but went on meeting the other woman's gaze and raised her chin in defiance. If Lin exposed her, she would be exposing Zuko as well and, as their eyes battled in the mirror, Katara knew they both knew this. "I'd prefer blue."

"The blue beads will not match your dress."

"Do you also plan to gouge out my eyes?"

The serving woman's eyes narrowed slightly and she lowered the beads. Her voice was almost inaudible. "I suppose your cooperative attitude was too good to last. Very well, Master Katara. It will be as you wish it."

"Thank you." Lin fished the blue beads from a pocket in her robes and Katara turned in her seat to accept them, peering up into the older woman's smooth face. "And… thank you for your discretion."

Lin paused at this and frowned faintly. "Master Katara, a humble servant has no right to deny her Lord and Lady what they want… regardless of what sort of _ridiculous notions_ strike them." Her expression was resigned, but her hand was warm against Katara's as she released the beads into her palm. "Also, a humble servant merely _is_ discrete – she does not need gratitude."

The Water Tribe woman ducked her chin in understanding and turned back to face her reflection, rolling the beads in her palm with the edge of her thumb. "Just because you don't need it doesn't mean I won't continue to thank you for the things you do, Lin. Expressing appreciation for small, every-day reasons is… one of the ways my people show respect for one another. And I do respect you… even if I don't show it in ways that you might expect from a Lady."

Katara began to twine the beads into her hair, braiding the traditional locks on either side of her face. Lin watched her in the mirror, a silent, calm-faced shadow. When the last of her braids was tied off, the serving woman spoke.

"Perhaps Master Katara might allow my hairdresser to bind her hair up, now that her cultural needs have been satisfied?"

The waterbender couldn't quite stop the smile from tugging at one corner of her mouth. "That would be nice…"

* * *

When the servants came to dress the Fire Lord for the ball, none remarked on the fact that he had already done the task himself. After all, he was young and odd-minded and still sometimes rebelled against their ministrations. He did not say much, but that was not unusual for the Fire Lord, either. And if he dragged his feet a bit as his guards escorted him to the ball, that was certainly not without precedent; the Fire Lord, after all, hated these functions.

Zuko, watching from behind one of his bushiest potted plants, was glad now that Lin had come in when she had. If he hadn't seen the mask go on an hour ago, Zuko doubted he would recognize the tribesman, now. His stride was imperious, his posture commanding to such an extent that a raised hand was easily enough to dismiss the servant offering hot towels.

Behind the plant and behind his mask, the firebender allowed himself a smirk. It wasn't really such a shock that Sokka would have a flair for acting.

Zuko watched his decoy stride from the room, followed closely by the crowd of servants. Then, the door clicked shut and the room was still. For some minutes, he waited, listening for any returning footsteps. None came.

The Blue Spirit rose from his hiding place and crept from the room through the concealed door. The corridor was empty, since most of the nobles, servants, and guards had already flocked to the ballroom. The Fire Lord, of course, was to be fashionably late.

Zuko let out a faint huff and darted toward the far end of the building. He only had to take cover once when a pair of young Earth Nobles rounded a corner.

"-tried to tell you this was the wrong wing, but _no_… _Someone_ knows the Fire Palace like the back of his-"

"Hey, I'm not the one who refused to ask that guard back there for directions, okay? I had a hunch and I was wrong. Do you want a written apology or something?"

"No. What I want is to not miss Princess Katara's entrance."

"…You're a lovesick idiot, you know that? She spent the night with the Fire Lord. Everyone knows it."

"So? I'm not one to judge her for a fling. We could still have a great life toge-"

Zuko, tucked into the shadow of a pillar, heard what sounded like fabric being grabbed as the two stopped nearby. "A fling? You don't get it, do you? This is the Fire Lord and the Princess of the Southern Water Tribe we're talking about. People like that don't just _have flings_."

"Princess Katara is a human being with a big heart and… needs! She can have a fling if she wants to. I'll love her no matter what."

"But the _Fire Lord_, Rol? A king and a princess don't just fool around as if they don't care who knows. They either keep it secret or get ma-"

"No-no-no! Don't you say that word in front of me!"

"I'll bet you two hundred gold marks they announce it tonight."

There was a long silence. Then, the slapping impact of a fist meeting a face. "You take that back!"

"Ow! My eye! You little-"

"Take it back!"

"-was just trying to help you get over-"

"I don't need to get over it! I'm in love – it's not a disease! What kind of brother are you if you can't accept that what I'm feeling is real?"

"Tell you what, Rol. As soon as I get my hands on you, I'll _show _you a real feeling. Come here!"

Zuko risked a glance around the pillar only to find the two Earth Nobles struggling on the floor. To his satisfaction, the one who claimed to be in love with Katara seemed to be losing. "No fair! That hold's illegal!"

"But you're in love, Rol." The older brother was smirking. "You're in love, this is war, and all's fair in-"

"_Get off of me_!"

Mindful of the two distracted Earth Nobles, the firebender crept along the wall and took the nearest turn. As he made his way down some stairs and out into the dark gardens, he heaved a sigh and sent a prayer to Agni that he and Hakoda hadn't looked that pathetic on his office floor.

The night was especially dark, with the moon swallowed by a sea of clouds, and it took Zuko's eyes some minutes to adjust. He slinked across the grounds to the shadowy arbor where the Moon Flowers were blooming, white bursts in the faint light from the palace. She was waiting there, her clothes just a shade darker than the vines around her, and Zuko's heart pounded in his chest as he drew closer. It was almost like the first time…

"You kept me waiting."

He opened his mouth to contest that before remembering that he could not speak and, in his silence, his inner fire dwindled. Mai crossed her arms and stepped out from beneath the arbor. She wore a zukin and fukumen as he had told her, but had forgone the red paint. Annoyed, Zuko pointed a finger at her face.

"What?" The noblewoman shrugged and rolled her eyes when he pointed again. "My face is covered. No one will recognize me. Besides, I don't like face paint. I've never liked face paint."

The firebender took a calming breath and, after a second's hesitation, turned for the nearest wall and gestured for Mai to follow. It would be her head if she was recognized. She knew that. Still, it bothered Zuko more than it should have, as if something important had been glossed over. Pushing the restlessness in his gut aside, he shrugged the rope from over his shoulder and prepared to scale the southern wall.

* * *

Katara tried to slow her short steps as she entered the ballroom, tried to smile pleasantly at the crowd of nobles on the dance floor below as she descended the wide carpeted stairs, but she felt as awkward as a hog-monkey on ice. As soon as she hit the bottom of the stairs, a pack of grinning Earth Nobles clustered to her. Of course, they were more difficult to recognize with their green clothing swapped out for reds, oranges, and blues, but they had other distinguishing qualities… such as green eyes, grubby fingernails, and nauseating enthusiasm.

"Oh, fair Princess of the Southern Water Tribe, would you honor me with this dance?"

"Princess Katara, you are as dazzling as the glitter of mineral strata!"

"Why, is your skirt an Earth Kingdom style, Master Katara? It suits your figure magnificently!"

She tried to be polite, nodding and smiling and declining to dance with as much patience as she could manage, but the smile got harder and harder to force and her jaw quickly grew sore from the effort. Many of the nobles introduced themselves and several reintroduced themselves, though Katara couldn't clearly remember meeting any of them a first time; between the masks and their sheer numbers, it was almost impossible to identify any one noble.

However, when a green-clad man whose half-mask bared his brown chin approached, Katara had no trouble recognizing his blue eyes. "Dad!" She pushed between two bulky Earth Kingdom men and grasped Hakoda's hand, perhaps a little harder than she'd meant to. "I'm so, so glad you made it! Where are the others?"

"Around." He cast a suspicious glance at the suddenly-thinning group of nobles. From the corner of her eye, Katara watched as those who hadn't made themselves scarce when they realized who he was made hasty retreats. "Bato started in on the wine the minute he got here – I think he's dancing with some woman in blue, now. I didn't even know he could dance."

Katara shrugged. "He spent some time on his own healing at that abbey – maybe he learned from the sisters there."

Hakoda frowned and would not meet his daughter's eyes. "Something tells me he didn't learn this particular dance from a commune of chaste Earth Kingdom women… Have you seen Sokka?"

Now it was Katara's turn to avoid eye-contact. "Well… He's, um… sort of helping Zuko with… this thing… Oh! Is that an ice sculpture?"

Along one wall of the room was a long table, spread with delicacies from around the world. Hakoda followed her gaze to the fragile ice emblem featuring all four of the elements locked together in a circle. "Yes… Master Pakku's contribution to globalism. Former General Iroh was very pleased."

Katara shot her father a measuring glance. Something in his tone told her he was not in the spirit of the night… not that she was, either, but it still concerned her that he wasn't having a good time. She opened her mouth to offer some encouragement, but was cut off.

"Katara! Check out this costume!"

Aang bounded across the room to her, resplendent in what looked like a wild combination of four nations' worth of styles and colors. Fire Nation boots, Air Nomad beads, and a tunic and trousers that looked very much like the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe had embraced… or collided. The Avatar's mask was sectioned into four parts – one for each of the elements – and had a few long, trailing green feathers that curved back over his head. His grin was huge.

"Wow… Aang. That's… er… really nice."

"I know! Zuko's seamstress even made me matching underwear! Although… I guess I can't show you those here…"

"Darn right you can't." Toph stomped out of the crowd, looking especially surly. And it was no wonder why…

The earthbender wasn't as dolled-up as she had been after Katara dragged her to the spa in Ba Sing Se, but it was obvious that someone had taken the task very seriously, had put a lot of effort into it, and had probably bled a bit for their trouble. Toph's hair was pinned back in imitation of Air Nobad style and her mask was nearly the cream color of her face, decorated only with a pale blue arrow that glimmered in the light of the ballroom's many candles. Her robes were simple, saffron with pleats that mimicked the casual folds of monkish garb.

Katara grinned. "You look really pretty, Toph." And she did.

And, as the earthbender's cheeks reddened, it was clear she felt the truth in Katara's voice. "Yeah, well, I'd better look awesome after all the hair-yanking and foot-rasping I just went through… but thanks, Sweetness."

"You look pretty, too, Katara." Aang's face went a little pink and his eyes kept flicking to Toph as if he expected the shoulder-punch of a lifetime. "I mean… Red is actually a really nice color for you. It looks, ah… really… um…"

"Grown-up."

Katara turned to look at her father. She had almost forgotten he was there and blinked for a moment, stunned. "Grown-up?"

Hakoda ducked his chin, affirming. "I should go check on Bato. If you see Sokka, tell him I'm looking for him."

With that, the chieftain strode away, seeming to vanish into the mingling colors of the crowd.

Toph crossed her arms. "It's really hard to see, here, with all these people stomping around. I might go out to the garden or- Hey, here comes…" She trailed off, eyes narrowing. "…wait a second…"

Katara, thinking maybe the blind girl had caught the jump in her heart rate at the mention of going to the garden, folded her hands in front of her to keep from fidgeting. "The garden? On a night like this? It's going to rain any minute, Toph."

"Seamstress Yun told me not to get the feathers wet…" Aang's thoughtful expression vanished behind a grin and a shrug. "But I guess I could leave my mask inside."

But the earthbender didn't seem to be listening. Her pale eyes were narrowed, her head tilted to one side as if in extreme focus. "Why is Snoozles walking like such a stiff… with an entourage?"

Katara, realizing the danger, opened her mouth to quiet Toph, only to cut off as someone tugged her long sleeve.

At first, she thought he was just a servant – certainly, he was dressed as one and was offering her a glass of wine from the tray he balanced on one hand – but his gangly build and nervous, flashing eyes tickled her memory even as her fingers absently lifted a glass from his tray.

"Master Katara," said Chu Tan, his voice low and urgent at her shoulder. "He's here. The nobleman who hired me is here."

* * *

AN: I've noticed that my chapters are much longer now than they were earlier in the story and it's really seemed to take forever just to get to the ball... I've had several positive reviews about my pacing (Thank you! Thank you!) but if anyone notices that the story is getting dragged down with unnecessary scenes, I would love to know about it. I'm trying to follow a semi-strict chronological progression of events, both to figure out exactly what is going on everywhere and to keep things fleshy and interesting here at the end when I might tend toward rushing. So, if something seems redundant, please don't hesitate to tell me all about it! :D


	42. Chapter 42

AN: Thank you, reviewers! I can never say it enough, so thank you, again! Those of you who pointed out specific spelling/word choice errors get super-mega-ultra THANKS, which merits the eating of chocolates. (You deserve it for rocking so much!)

**On Confusion**: There was apparently some confusion about the Zuko/Mai/arbor scene - if anybody else feels confused, please let me know! That scene was intentionally a bit vague and this chapter should make what's going on for Zuko clear, but please let me know if it doesn't. ALSO, I definitely don't blame anybody for forgetting Chu Tan or Things What Happened Months Ago - the first half of chapter 34 would be a good reminder.

CuteGenius: Good point on the carvings. I have certainly been considering Zuko's carving skills, but I don't think that would be enough to satisfy Hakoda. Well... not the Hakoda in my mind... Don't worry, though! I have A Plan... and it's gonna be awesome.

InItToWinIt: Of COURSE that's important! We ALL want to know... :D

LittleDragon5: Lin is 100% original. She grew out of the story, at first because I wanted to emphasize how difficult it was for Zuko to return to palace life and then because she completely took control of ALL OF THE THINGS.

Kimberly T.: Oh, such good points... Especially about the Fire Nation ladies. Thank you!

**

* * *

**

Between the surprise of Mai's visit, the obvious dangers of Zuko's mission, and the challenge of facing Lin, it was really no wonder that she had forgotten this significantly-less-dangerous plan. Looking into Chu Tan's bright, sharp eyes, though, Katara remembered.

On the Fire Lord's orders, the bounty hunter had come to pose as a servant and sift through the crowd, listening for the distinctive voice that would identify the nobleman who had hired him to capture the Blue Spirit. The anonymous, powerful nobleman who had worked in conjunction with Lo Wei and Bau Li.

All of the urgency of the previous night came flooding back.

"Who is he? Can you point him out?" In one hand, Katara held a forgotten glass of wine. In the other, she gripped Chu Tan's hard, skinny arm through the sleeve of his dull red servant's uniform. The bounty hunter glanced around at all the people surrounding them and the waterbender, realizing she could quickly turn this into a scene, pried her hand from his person and forced herself to take a slow sip from her glass.

Chu Tan peered down at the floor, brow creased in mild frustration, and shrugged. "I only heard his voice. When I turned around to look, there were dozens of men in masks – I couldn't pick him out." His gaze snapped back up to the waterbender. "He's _here_, though."

Katara's lips thinned, but she nodded and sipped again from her glass to cover her words. "Alright. Keep trying. If you find him, point him out to me immediately."

With a nod and something that looked like a barely-restrained grin, the young man shuffled off into the crowd, stopping frequently to distribute wine from his tray of glasses. The waterbender watched him for a second, marveling at his easy manner, the way his body language seemed to shift depending on whose hand was reaching toward his tray. He grinned and laughed along at the jokes of brown-skinned Water Tribe men and ducked his calm face when serving pale-skinned Fire Nation nobles.

The kid was not just a good tea server – he was clearly a smooth operator, in general. Katara was trying to decide whether she should be reassured or disconcerted by this when a familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Master Katara!" She turned to face a blue-masked Iroh, who was looking pink in the cheeks – though whether from wine or dancing was difficult to tell. He tilted his head at an inquiring angle. "I hope that you are having a good time – you look a little lonely, standing here all by yourself…"

"I'm not…" The waterbender glanced around her, only to find that Toph and Aang were half-way across the room and making a bee-line for the entry stairs.

At that moment, the doors at the top were drawn open and Hau stepped forward to announce the Fire Lord's arrival. Panic welled up in Katara's chest as she watched the earthbender stomp towards the blue-clad figure that was so obviously Sokka. One wrong word and Toph could blow the entire con.

Katara offered Iroh some half-garbled excuses and, with her short, undignified steps, hurried to catch up.

* * *

Zuko led Mai through the streets of the lower city, darting from shadow to shadow. Every time they stopped to wait for guards or citizens to walk on or turn the other way, he was very aware of her closeness, her breathing. Her occasional sighs seemed almost aimed at the back of his neck.

He had loved the way she sighed, not all that long ago. The way her posture remained rigid to the eye as her chest expanded and compressed against the weight of her ennui. Something about the smolder of her boredom spoke to him through meetings and social functions, reminded him that formality and politics weren't all there was to life.

Now, though, she sighed as they crouched in the darkness between two shut and silent shops, waiting for one last sailor to stroll from the dock. The sound of her gusty breath, barely-audible over the distant man's footsteps, gnawed at Zuko's nerves.

Katara would not be sighing. Katara would be closer beside him, her breath pushing and pulling her body lightly against his. Katara would feel the heady burn of walking the knife's edge – just as he did. He knew she felt it; her eyes wouldn't sparkle the way they did if she wasn't thrilled by this dangerous game, too.

She certainly wouldn't be _sighing_.

Finally, the sailor made his way off down a side street and Zuko leapt out of hiding, leading the noblewoman to one of the smallest steam-powered crafts moored along the boardwalk. He swiftly untied the lines and boarded the small vessel, then dropped down the hatch and went about loading coal into the furnace where the banked fire immediately blossomed, hot and bright. Satisfied, Zuko shut the iron door and scrambled back up the ladder, intent on the steering controls. He stopped, though, when his eyes came level with a pair of fine black shoes.

Mai stood at the top of the ladder, peering down at him drily. "Isn't this stealing?"

Zuko only paused a second before climbing back up on deck, dodging around the noblewoman to get to the helm. She of course followed him and stood in the doorway, watching as he maneuvered the ship away from the dock. The firebender was very aware of her eyes on his back, but he clamped his jaw and focused on steering, determined not to lose this battle of wills.

The night's darkness was already working against them. As the boat passed from the light of the pier, Zuko became aware of just how difficult it could be to see rocks before he was on top of them. He checked the compass and urged the engine for more speed; it was a straight shot to the east to pass out of the harbor and major rock outcroppings were lit with slow-burning oil beacons.

It wasn't until they had hit the open ocean that Mai spoke again. "So you aren't going to talk to me at all?" She waited and, when he said nothing, heaved a sigh. "This is going to be a really long boat ride."

The noblewoman fell silent and Zuko allowed himself to be lulled by the sound of the engine's drone. Ember Island actually was a long way from the Capital – long enough that most nobles with homes there only made the trip a few times in the summer months – but the small steamer he had chosen could probably make it in a couple of hours.

Then…

Zuko allowed himself a deep breath and, for a second, shut his eyes behind his mask.

Then, he would execute Lord Bau Li.

* * *

The crowd grew tighter around her as Katara approached the stairs and she had to make a couple of swipes before she managed to snag the back of Toph's robes. The earthbender stopped and crossed her arms before turning around. "Alright Sweetness – it's time to fess up. I know something's going on and I want in."

Aang hovered at her side, peering back and forth between his friends. "Something's going on?"

Katara bit her lip and glanced at the people crowding around them, though most were too focused on the false Fire Lord to notice them. A Ba Sing Se nobleman near the front of the crowd raised a half-empty glass of wine.

"A toast! To Fire Lord Zuko, who has, in this first year of his reign, created the peaceful Fire Nation he promised us all."

As she raised her glass with the rest of the onlookers, Katara couldn't help but feel that she was forgetting something. She shook her head before taking a short sip; there was too much going on now. She'd remember later, if it was important.

The waterbender watched her brother pause in his slow, deliberate descent and bow his head a degree in a refined gesture of flattery. The way he moved almost didn't look like Sokka at all… but she could envision the smug look on his face as all of the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation nobility gazed up in awe at his dashing self. He was in there, without a doubt.

"I haven't got all day, Sugar Queen."

With a huff, Katara leaned close to whisper in Toph's ear. Aang edged in and, though he gazed innocently up at a corner of the ceiling, it was obvious that he was listening as well. "Look, it's a long story. Just… do me a big favor and pretend that Sokka is Zuko for tonight."

Aang immediately frowned. "Wait – if that's Sokka, then where's-?"

The earthbender's scoff stifled his soft question. "What is this? Trick the blind girl day? Do you and Sparky have a bet on how long it'll take me to wise up?"

Drawing back slightly, Katara frowned and gripped the girl's shoulder. "I'm serious, Toph. This is a matter of life or death. For tonight, that guy on the stairs is the Fire Lord. Get it?"

"Right. Do I get to be the Avatar?"

"Okay by me…" Aang scratched his head where one of the feathers from his mask tickled, then grinned. "I'll be Momo."

Katara drew a few deep breaths and was preparing to snarl in an undertone when Toph patted her on the back… with unnecessary force. "Don't worry, Sweetness. We'll be good."

Biting back a wince, the waterbender released a breath. "Good. Thanks, To-"

"But, you know, good behavior doesn't come cheap."

Aang held up a finger. "Well, technically, it's free…"

"You _mean_…" Toph frowned. "…the price you pay is psychological."

"Uh, right." The airbender leveled a shrug on Katara. "We wouldn't want to end up emotionally stunted."

The blind girl crossed her arms, grinning. "Besides, excessive good behavior creates a state of imbalance, which is _not_ what Team Avatar is about." Aang, smiling, shook his head.

The waterbender peered back and forth between her two friends, then threw up her hands – as much as the dress would allow. "Fine. Fine! What do you want?"

Toph smirked and rubbed her hands together. "All in good time, Sweetness. Look sharp – your _boyfriend's_ coming."

Katara glanced up to find Sokka making his way toward her and shot Toph a glare. "Not funny."

"Not to you, maybe, but to people who actually have senses of humor, it's awesome."

Because she knew to look, Katara saw the tiny bounce in her brother's step as the people parted easily before him. He strode directly to the three friends and offered each a short bow of greeting. From the corner of her eye, Katara watched Aang and Toph return the gesture as she did. The earthbender seemed unable to wipe the smirk from her face and the Avatar couldn't keep his grinning trap shut.

"Good evening, _Fire Lord Zuko_ – and might I say, you're looking especially _Water Tribe_, tonight…" Aang waggled his eyebrows.

Sokka tensed for a second and Katara got the impression that he was restraining himself from doing something overtly undignified. She bit her lip to keep from interrupting; people were watching and, while it would be disastrous if Sokka spoke, it would be suspicious if she tried to keep him from speaking.

Finally, the warrior raised a white-gloved hand to his chest and repeated his short nod of thanks. Then, he turned and held out the same hand to Katara. Very aware of the many eyes on her, the waterbender handed her wine off to Aang and tried to muster up the right kind of smile. She tried to think of Zuko's warm yellow eyes, Zuko's quirking lips – anything but how weird holding hands with her brother was – as she laid her fingers over his and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor.

Of course, holding hands with Sokka was nowhere as weird as dancing with Sokka.

Still, that practice time he'd had with Zuko must have accomplished something because he didn't step on her toes once. In fact, they quickly settled into a comfortable rhythm and the waterbender felt her worry about the many people watching diminish. Her shoulders released tension she had not even realized was there.

"Are you sure you want to marry this guy, Katara?"

Sokka's voice was low and gentle and she blinked up at the Ocean Spirit mask, mouth curving slightly downward. The mask muffled his words and it was unlikely that any of the couples dancing nearby would overhear him, but Katara was fairly convinced that this wasn't the time to discuss this particular topic.

"I mean, I hate to break it to you, but he's a total jerk – exploited my debt to dress me up in this walking lava-suit, let his crazy housekeeper manhandle me, trashed your court appeal, enlisted you in his crazy crime-fighting hobby… whacked our village with his ship that time…"

Katara smiled and chuckled despite her furrowed brow, her worries fading. It was difficult to tell what he might be thinking behind the mask, but she knew the teasing tone of her brother's voice by heart. "That last one wasn't _my_ Zuko. That was _Ponytail_ Zuko."

Sokka went on, amusement obvious in his quiet voice. "Oh ho! So there's a new category, now. Katara's Zuko… I don't like it. Doesn't really have the pop of Ponytail Zuko or Topknot Zuko, you know?"

"How about Brother-in-law Whether You Like It Or Not Zuko?"

"Eh… That one kind of drags. How about just Brother Zuko?"

"That makes him sound like a monk."

"What's wrong with that? I actually kind of liked the thought of my little sister marrying a monk…"

Katara rolled her eyes. "This from my brother, who shared a tent with Suki more than a year before marrying her."

"Hey – we were at war. You've gotta live while you're alive, you know."

* * *

They danced through a few melodies and, every time she looked over Sokka's shoulder, Katara spotted more and more glaring noblewomen. Still, she didn't have to pretend to have fun.

She hadn't spent a lot of time with Sokka since their arrival in the Fire Nation and, as he told her (quietly and in great detail) about all the things he would rather wear than a 'wanna-be Water Tribe sweat-suit,' Katara became aware of just how much she was going to miss her brother when he sailed back home without her in a few days.

"I mean, I'd even prefer Jet's shoulder guard. You got closer to that guy than I did – you know how bad he smelled."

She was fairly certain she would miss him once he was gone, anyway.

Katara huffed through her smile and rolled her eyes. "Jet didn't smell bad."

"Are you kidding? His entire crew smelled like a pack of wolf-hogs. Think about it; a gang of kids living on their own in a tree-house? There's no way they bathed."

"Look, Jet was a lot of things, but he didn't stink."

Sokka shook his masked head and released a gusty sigh. "I guess your nose was just blinded by his smooth bad-boy image. At least Zuko has that demon-woman around to march him off to the royal sweat lodge before he gets too rank."

Katara frowned up at him for a second before realizing that he wasn't talking about her. He went on before she could rally a response. "Alright, have we danced enough to convince everyone that Zuko is too in love with you to function normally, yet?"

The waterbender blinked, half-shrugging. "I… uh…"

"Katara?" At Suki's voice, Katara turned to face her sister-in-law. The Kyoshi Warrior was one of the lucky few who had escaped wearing a mask; instead, her eyes were surrounded by the red diamond-design of the Yu Yan. Her long tunic and wide-legged pants shimmered in shades of red silk and her hair was bound up in a topknot. If Katara felt a flash of jealousy for her utilitarian garb, it fizzled under Suki's worried expression. "Do you know where Sokka is? I haven't seen him since he left with you this morning."

The waterbender hesitated. On the one hand, the more people who knew what was going on, the more likely Zuko's plan was to fail. On the other hand, if Suki drew too much attention to the fact that Sokka wasn't in attendance, it might raise suspicion as to what he had been up to. Before she could make a decision, though, her brother stepped back from her and assumed a haughty pose.

"What? No kiss for the Fire Lord?"

For an instant, Suki scowled and Katara thought she was going to hit him. It was only wishful thinking, though; her expression twisted to skepticism. "Sokka?"

"Yes, Sokka, my brother, decided to, ah, run a personal errand for me in the city." Katara forced a grin as Suki stared at her, perhaps a little stunned by the loudness of her voice. Glancing around to be sure no one was watching, the waterbender went on at a much lower volume. "I promise to explain, later. Until then…"

"Right." Suki settled a dry look on her for a moment and probably would have said something else, but Hau appeared at that moment, bowing to Sokka and casting his fretful gaze on the floor.

"Fire Lord, the Earth King would like to commence with the toasts. He claims that his… bear is growing impatient."

Katara watched her brother give a short nod of understanding and wondered how he would manage toasts without taking off his mask. She hoped Zuko had covered that…

And then she remembered. The toasts. Guardsman Tao had said to meet him after the toasts.

Hau, seemingly unaware of the waterbender's sudden stiffening, inclined his head a degree farther. "Do you wish to proceed to the dais, Your Majesty?"

Sokka nodded a second time and briefly turned to face Katara. Despite the reluctance obvious in his body language, she suspected that his lingering gaze was actually trained on Suki. The waterbender forced a sad smile as he turned and strode away, Hau at his heel.

At her side, the Kyoshi warrior whispered, "You know, I never would have thought of using Sokka as a stand-in for Zuko, but he actually looks pretty convincing." Suki had crossed her arms over her chest. Her eyes shifted to Katara and narrowed. "Whatever you and Zuko are up to, I somehow doubt that the truth would be more shocking than some of the rumors flying around here. These people are shameless – they make up some of the most ridiculous loads of tripe behind one another's backs and then strut around grinning at each other like good friends…"

"Master Katara!"

"Speaking of which…" Katara dared a glance over her shoulder, though there was little doubt in her mind as to the identity of the approaching nobleman. She would not easily forget that smooth voice.

Nor would she forget Chu Tan's description of the mysterious noble who hired him. _...he had a real way with words._

Subtly, Katara scanned the room for the bounty hunter. If she could find him and signal him over, he could identify Lord Laotsu as that noble – but the boy was nowhere to be seen. She would have to keep Laotsu busy until Chu Tan reappeared.

Katara also realized this was her chance to regain a little face from her previous run-in with this man. She was wise to his tricks, now. He smiled and bowed as he reached her. The waterbender, eyes a bit narrowed, bowed in return and forced a polite smile over her gritted teeth. "Lord Laotsu. What a pleasure to see you again. Suki, have you met Lord Laotsu?"

She may not have been doing a very good job at concealing her dislike, because Suki raised a brow at her and, as soon as Katara had introduced her – to Laotsu's beaming excitement – the Kyoshi warrior made a strategic retreat. The noble, on the other hand, seemed oblivious.

"Master Katara, there is a question burning in my mind and I wondered if you might be so generous as to quell it with an answer?"

Though the waterbender sensed danger, she refused to back down. Instead, she squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. "I suppose that depends on this question."

"It is…" Laotsu's yellow eyes sparked as he glanced around for idle ears and, apparently seeing none, resettled on his intended prey. His voice was like silk, low and flowing. "It is a matter of personal curiosity, Master Katara. You see, Fire Nation records of Water Tribe custom leave much to be desired and I had hoped that you might do me the honor of enlightening me as to certain elements of your culture?" His head tilted slightly to one side in inquiry, seemingly benevolent.

Katara would not be fooled – not again. She folded her hands into her sleeves, tipping her own head forward in polite interest and bracing herself for whatever shockingly personal question she was about to hear. "Why, I would love to enlighten you, Lord Laotsu. Was there a certain issue you had in mind?"

Those gray-and-black sideburns tugged slightly outward with the force of his smile. "I had hoped you might explain to me the intricacies of the current political climate within the Southern Water Tribe." Katara tried not to let her surprise show on her face. Laotsu raised one elegant hand as he elaborated. "You see, there have been some rumors that your father, Chief Hakoda, has destabilized his position as chief by engaging in certain clashes of interest with other leaders. Is there any truth to this?"

The waterbender was unable to stop the upward quirk of one brow. This was not at all what she had expected. Still, it would be easier to keep Laotsu busy until Chu Tan happened by if she could drone on about Southern Water Tribe politics instead of struggling to evade probing personal questions.

Katara drew a breath and started talking. "Well, not within the tribe. It'd be a different story if we were Northern Water Tribe, but things are done a little differently in the south…"

* * *

To Zuko, the silent hours seemed to fly. He wanted to meditate, to think very carefully about what he was about to do.

But someone had to steer the boat and Mai wasn't exactly the nautical type. She had taken a seat on a bench at the rear of the control room and, the last time he had glanced back at her, she had been staring blankly out the porthole. When the engine began to lag, Zuko used a length of twine to tie off the wheel and went below to stoke the furnace. Mai didn't even look up as he passed.

The coal, heaped in the floor of the engine room, seemed to swallow what little light hit it, but Zuko found that working his muscles through the steady, repetitive motion of shoveling was almost like meditation. Almost.

Bau Li hadn't just stolen from the Fire Nation. He may not have known that he had supported a direct attack on his sovereign, but there was no doubt in the Fire Lord's mind that he was fully aware of Lo Wei's politics and had knowingly chosen to back the financier's short-lived rebellion – his attempt to locate Azula.

The flicker had built again to a blaze. Zuko returned the shovel to its place by the furnace and climbed back up to the deck. The rain had begun, spitting and cold, and he quickly returned to the control room. Mai had not moved from her seat. The firebender returned to the wheel, unwound the twine that had held their north-easterly course, and then gazed into the darkness ahead.

In retrospect, he supposed that Lo Wei should have been executed on the spot rather than set loose on the Earth Kingdom, but it had not been the right thing to do at the time. Katara, that night… Katara had been in a mood to draw blood and Zuko had not been far behind her. That was no state of mind to be in when performing an execution. That was revenge, not justice.

He didn't realize he was the one who had emitted the sigh until the glass of the window before him fogged lightly from his breath. Zuko blinked and straightened, slightly adjusting their course.

But tonight was not like the night Lo Wei captured them. That night had been about survival. Tonight was about justice. Since speaking with Mai that morning, the Fire Lord had been mentally leafing through the charges set against the man in question, checking again and again to be sure they merited death. According to the laws of the Fire Nation, they did.

Only when he was sure of this did Zuko allow himself to remember Lord Bau Li, not as a criminal, but as Mai's father, as the first nobleman who had made offers of personal allegiance after his coronation. Perhaps they had been insincere, but the gesture had meant a great deal to the young ruler, then, and remembering it still kindled fondness. Zuko let himself remember the man's occasional kindnesses through his childhood and his apparent fondness for his own children. He let himself remember that Bau Li, despite all of his crimes, was a human being.

And, because of all of his crimes, he had to die.

Ahead, the lights of Ember Island came winking into view.

* * *

Laotsu listened to Katara with an intent expression on his face, occasionally nodding and asking odd questions about precise practices in the Southern Water Tribe. Looking back on the conversation, she would later blame her distraction for her complete failure to suspect the coming trick. To the waterbender's ever-increasing frustration, Chu Tan never returned. As she talked, her eyes followed more than a dozen servants as they wound their ways through the crowd of nobles and delegates, distributing glasses of wine and refilling anything set before them from sparkling carafes.

Lord Laotsu folded his fingers together delicately around the stem of his wine glass, brows riding high over lidded eyes as he posed yet another query. "If a child acts against the command of his parent, what manner of discipline is in order?"

Katara frowned. She had no idea what could have inspired this one, but suspected she was being tested as the potential mother of future heirs. Laotsu obviously didn't know he was talking to the most mothering teenager to emerge from the Southern Water Tribe. "It depends on the particular act of disobedience. When my brother was six, he didn't close the smoke-hut door after Dad told him two or three times to do it. Tundra rat-weasels got in and we lost almost three months' worth of seal jerky. His punishment was to help the mothers cure the jerky from the next seal hunt."

"I fear I am confused, Master Katara." Lord Laotsu was frowning at his wine glass. "Your brother's actions endangered the entire tribe; if all of the stored food had been spoiled by his carelessness, many of your people could have passed from starvation during the harsh winter. How is it that he was not more severely punished for this?"

"Actually, the punishment he had was pretty hard on him." Katara shrugged, holding up one hand as she spoke. "Sokka wanted to be learning how to fight or hunt – traditional men's work – and instead he spent an entire month up to his elbows in blubber grease and salt. If he had been sixteen instead of six, Dad may have given him something more difficult to do."

Lord Laotsu nodded and swirled the dark liquid around the inside of his glass, then raised a careful eye to Katara. "In Fire Nation schools, instructors are equipped with switches for dealing with disobedient children. Is it not the same amongst the Southern Water Tribe?"

The waterbender shifted her weight from one foot to the other and tried to cross her arms, then resettled them at her sides when the dress resisted. "No. We believe there is nothing to be gained from creating fear in a child's heart – especially not fear of his own people. When a child misbehaves, he gets the chance to make amends to show that he understands that what he did hurt the tribe. On the ice, the tribe is all there is; the most valuable thing we have is one another." Katara remembered the way Gran-Gran and Sokka had convinced her not to go away with Aang, so long ago. _You'd choose him over your own tribe?_ "I guess we motivate more with guilt than fear," she said with a wry quirk of her brow.

"A most valuable insight, Master Katara." Lord Laotsu was smiling, his curling sideburns bracketing his mouth just so. The nobleman narrowed his eyes as he again inclined his head in inquiry. The trap snapped shut. "Then I should not believe the atrocious rumor suggesting that the, er, blemish, so to say, that appeared on your face yesterday morning was not left by your father's own hand after your open defiance of his wishes regarding your interaction with the Fire Lord?"

For a second, Katara could only stare, mouth slightly open. When she managed to speak again, she did so at a greater volume than she had intended. "My dad would _never_-!"

She was cut off by a gong at the far end of the ballroom. Lord Laotsu's salt-and-pepper brows hopped up his forehead. "Ah! It seems the toasts are beginning! Pardon me!"

Katara sputtered as she watched him stride away. A few people were watching her with perplexed and disdainful expressions, but most were making their way toward the upraised dais where Sokka sat alongside the Earth King, King Bumi, both chieftains of the Water Tribes, and the Avatar. The Water Tribe warrior was pointing to the blue mask and shaking his head at a woeful Hau while Hakoda shot him subtle glances from the corner of his eye, pretending to watch the Earth King shoo Bosco back to his own table. Aang's smile was extra-wide and he was sitting at an odd angle. Katara noticed that the glass of wine she had handed him before going to dance was in the process of being refilled.

It was all too much. Zuko had left without her, Sokka was going to speak or take off the mask and blow everything, Chu Tan was missing, Laotsu was getting away, Aang was drunk, and there was apparently a rumor circulating that her father had hit her.

Katara turned on her heel and marched out of the ballroom as fast as her short steps would allow. The attendants at the top of the stairs shot each other uncertain looks that matched as well as their uniforms before drawing the doors open for her. The waterbender scooted furiously through the strangely empty corridors until she came to the courtyard where she and the others had landed Appa nearly a week ago, now.

Then, she started pacing. She just needed to calm down. Calm down and everything would be alright. She would meet with Guardsman Tao – maybe he would even come early – then get back to the ball in time to either rescue Sokka from the angry mob or congratulate him on a miraculous save.

The sound of the natural rock fountain drew her and, as she stopped to peer into the dark water, the rain began, needling and icy. Katara tried to raise her arms to bend the water away from herself – she had gotten the warnings about the feathers on her mask, as well – but the dress would not allow her arms to lift that high. With a sigh, she ducked into the shadows under a low ornamental tree whose broad leaves would hold out the rain with the same ease with which they held out the torchlight.

She noticed the smell immediately, something more metallic than the new rain. It took longer for her to realize that the slate flagstones beneath the tree were oddly slick. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, Katara swallowed, her saliva thick and sticky in her throat.

Guardsman Tao had come early, after all.

His body laid lifeless, yellow eyes dull and staring up toward the branches above him and mouth open as if to speak. He looked as if he hadn't put up much of a fight, though his helmet was gone. Also missing was the bandage from the side of his neck; it must have been ripped off when his throat was cut. Though she wanted to tear her eyes away, Katara couldn't help staring. The gash that had obviously killed him furrowed low across his neck, black with clotted blood.

But where the old stab wound should have been, there was no mark.

* * *

AN: Dun dun dun!


	43. Chapter 43

AN: Thank you, glorious review-leaving lovely people! This chapter is really short because I couldn't find a spot to break later. The good news is that the next chapter is already more than half-written! With a little luck and elbow grease, I could have it out later today. *fingers crossed* Until then, hope you like it!

* * *

Katara sat on a bench in the garden, rain soaking through the silk at her shoulders, over her lap, and under her bottom. Her hair was heavy with it and the stone she was sitting on felt as hard and cold as the lump in her gut.

A man was dead.

The mask laid where she had dropped it, halfway between the tree and where she now sat. It was ruined; the red feathers that had been so delicately glued into place were dark and matted with water and had come away from the backing in places to dot the surrounding flagstones. She had dropped it when she realized that her delicate silken slippers had tracked smears of blood out from the shadows. The footprints were fading as the raindrops washed them away, but the feathers remained, shocks of red dashing the center of the courtyard.

Katara shut her eyes and forced herself to think. She had healed that stab wound herself; the scar should have been extensive. Tao could not have been the man he had claimed to be – so who was he? Was he even a real guard? Why had he wanted to meet her here? His lie about his identity made it clear that he was not to be trusted, yet he had seemed so sincere in his desire to offer information. Had he been killed to silence a secret? More troubling still, who had held the knife?

Chu Tan's absence from the ball was becoming increasingly unnerving.

In the distance, thunder murmured. The waterbender could sense the heavier rain coming in from the east, pounding against the sea. She hoped Zuko would not try to return through the coming storm, though she wanted him at her side now more than anything.

Wishing wouldn't answer her questions, though, and neither would sitting in the rain.

Drawing a deep breath, Katara rose from the bench. Her hip was chilled and, when she looked down, she found that, just as Seamstress Yun had promised, sitting had ripped the seam of her dress. A white strip of her bindings was showing through the split and the silk thread unraveled as she twisted to get a better look, spreading the damage down her thigh.

The waterbender sighed. In the distant future, she was sure she would pay for this, but presently her concerns were more vital. Her eyes were drawn to the red mask, falling apart in a growing puddle, and the shadowed tree beyond. Significantly more vital.

Decision made, Katara gripped both sides of the tear and jerked them apart, rending the narrow skirt to its hem. She raised her arms straight above her head until she felt threads popping in the seams at her armpits, then made wide circles with each elbow. It was an incredible relief as the sleeves tore away from the body of the dress and Katara could again feel the water around her surging in response to her smooth movements.

The waterbending master strode from the courtyard, torn silk threads trailing. She had to find Chu Tan. It was quickly becoming clear that the smooth bounty hunter may have been bought to betray Zuko's trust. He could have been playing them from the start, winning them over with that sob story about his sick mother before sending them into Lo Wei's trap. It was certainly not impossible that he was involved in Tao's death.

That, or the boy was in serious trouble.

* * *

It was Mai's turn to lead, now, and the rain was coming down in thick drops. They landed the boat on the south-western beach and jogged along the paved roads connecting the largest and most luxurious of Fire Nation vacation homes. They passed the turn that would have taken them to the beach house that had always belonged to the Fire Lord, but Zuko spared it no glance. His business was elsewhere.

As they drew closer, Mai led him off of the road and onto a winding foot trail that was only barely visible beneath the darkness of the trees. The rain was making the already damp earth muddy and the Fire Lord heard more than a few soft curses from the woman leading him as she slipped and scrambled through the muck. He followed at her heel, watching where she set her feet to determine which spots were sound and which were not.

So, at the moment when Mai, clambering up a steep incline, lost her grip on the tree root before her and teetered for a second before falling backward, Zuko was there to catch her. She fell against his chest, her weight oddly too little, her frame strangely too tall. He had always thought her perfect, before. Now, he found himself longing for Katara's stouter shoulders to be pressed against him, Katara's softer sides beneath his hands.

Zuko hurriedly pushed the struggling noblewoman back upright. Mai turned around on the incline and glared down at him in the dark, brushing imagined wrinkles from her clothes.

"Don't get any funny ideas, pal. I would stick you in a heartbeat."

Rolling his eyes, he held up his palms before him and backed a step away.

She glared a moment longer, then turned and continued.

At last, they came through thick brush to the house. Zuko vaguely recognized it from rare visits in his childhood. It was large and lights came from windows on both levels, casting glittering beams in the rain. Guards stood at the front door and a few marched around the perimeter, movements slow and somewhat lackluster. The firebender couldn't blame them; he was soaked down to his skin and his boots squished with every step. The rain made everything a little extra miserable.

Except Katara. Katara loved the rain. Zuko stifled a sigh.

"My father will still be in his study – on the far end." Mai raised a hand and pointed at one glowing yellow window, then a dark one in a wing. "We can slip in through my room, there, if we can distract the guards."

Zuko nodded his understanding, then crouched and thought for a moment. If Katara was there, she could just bend the water in the bushes on the far end of the compound or use the rain to freeze all of the guards in place… or maybe-

"What is wrong with you?" Mai's eyes were narrowed slightly, her tone scathing. "Do you even have a plan or are we just going to sit here until we sink into the mud?"

The firebender blinked, then looked again at the guards patrolling and standing at their stations. Turning back to Mai, he patted the air with his hands, gesturing for her to stay, then darted off through the foliage.

He would have to do this the way he used to back before he had a waterbending partner.

The patrolling guards were easy enough to pick off; Zuko waited in the bushes lining a narrow alley that separated the side of the house and the woods. The first man to wander along was easily lured into the shadows, knocked down with a whippy branch, and bound and gagged with his own uniform tunic.

The two who came to check on him put up more of a fight, but one firebender and one so-so swordsman were no match for the Blue Spirit. He dodged out of the woods, spun the first man's helmet sideways and ran him into the wall, then ducked under the other man's blade, swept his feet out from under him, and then clobbered him on top of the head with his own helmet as he tried to rise.

"Nice moves." Zuko whirled to find Mai emerging from the trees, arms crossed over her chest. "You're one of those guys who only kills when he has to, aren't you? No wonder Zuko likes you."

Behind his mask, the firebender scowled. He jabbed a finger back towards the spot where Mai was supposed to be hiding, but the noblewoman just stared at him, unflinching.

"You know I'm not here to watch from the bushes."

Though the scowl remained on his face, Zuko lowered his arm. Mai couldn't use her darts and daggers if she was to avoid recognition, but he couldn't deny her this. It was her right. It was her duty.

He turned away to drag the two downed guards into the bushes. The noblewoman stood by and watched.

Together, they dashed around a corner of the house and crept to Mai's dark window. The noblewoman opened the latch with a practiced swipe of a knife and, like two shadows, they entered the Bau Family home.

* * *

Katara wasn't sure whether it was the news or the state of her dress that made both guards blink down at her with identical expressions of shock. She hitched one hand on her hip and pointed down the corridor through which she had just come.

"I said there's a dead man in that courtyard. Someone should see to the body."

One guard – who, with his thin goatee and sharp brows, looked suspiciously like the one who had tried to keep her out of the meeting room yesterday – blinked and managed to speak. "Master Katara, you… were you attacked?"

"No." The waterbender arched a brow and glanced off to one side, eyes hooded. "I accidentally tore my dress… because I was so surprised by the dead body in that courtyard. Which someone should see to."

The guard stared at her a moment longer, then turned to his partner and conferred quietly. Katara watched them through narrowed eyes. The one who had spoken – she was sure now that he was the same man she had threatened yesterday – had an extra emblem on the collar of his uniform, the mark of a low-ranking officer.

Finally, the second guard ducked back through the door to the ballroom and the officer turned to face the waterbender with questions as to exactly which courtyard and how she came upon the body. Katara answered his questions with as much truth as she could, leaving out the bit about the prearranged meeting and knowing Tao's name, but she had to keep fighting back a niggling feeling that something wasn't right. She had intended to inform the guards about Tao and then continue her search for Chu Tan, perhaps ask around in the kitchen, but the constant flow of questions as well as the steady weight of this man's eyes upon her was beginning to make her uncomfortable.

When the other man emerged from the ballroom with four more guards, her discomfort only grew.

"Master Katara, please come with us while we figure out exactly what has happened."

The waterbender nodded stiffly and walked alongside the officer as they made their way to the courtyard with the natural rock fountain. The clank of the armored bodies following her made her mouth tighten and her heart beat faster.

When they arrived at the scene, the rain was falling steadily. Katara pointed out her mask where she had dropped it and the tree under which she had found the body. The heavier precipitation had flooded the courtyard and water puddled in every depression, glinting in the torchlight as more rain splashed down.

The guards marched around, looking for clues – under the tree, in the pond, beneath the ornamental bushes. At her ruined mask. The officer made a brief circuit of the premises before he returned to Katara's side and began asking the same questions again, though the words were slightly different this time. A wind picked up and blew rain against their backs. The waterbender crossed her arms and gave the same nearly-true answers, rubbing an elbow while her eyes followed the other guards.

Finally, one of the men approached, rain dripping from his helmet. "Lieutenant Hito, the victim is dressed like a guard, but none of us recognize him from the barracks. I swear I've seen him around the palace, before, though."

The lieutenant nodded shortly. "When we're done here, find Lin and see if she can identify him. Anything else?"

The guard shook his head. Behind him, the other four men gathered in a tidy row. "No, sir. With this rain, it's difficult to tell, but the only sign that anyone else was here is Master Katara's mask."

For a long moment, there was only the sound of the rain as six sets of yellow eyes darted toward the waterbender. Katara, jaw slackening, looked back to the Lieutenant and, for the first time, she spotted the mild sadness in his eyes, the suspicion. "You don't honestly think _I_ killed him."

Hito's mouth firmed into a line. "I do not yet know what to think, but that hardly matters; my commanding officer will make the call. I will confer with him as quickly as possible…" He shifted from one foot to the other, redistributing his weight. "Master Katara, it is standard operating procedure for a suspect of murder to be taken into custody until the details are clear. Please, consider it a formality." His yellow eyes flicked over to the other guards, who were slowly encircling the stunned Water Tribe woman, and his voice belied his tension. "Please… come quietly, Master Katara."

Katara uncrossed her arms and stood up straighter, very aware of her element falling thick in the air and soaking deep beneath the armor of the men surrounding her. She had the obvious upper hand if this situation came down to a fight and the guards knew it; when she shifted, they tensed, seemingly as one. Realizing that resistance would look even more suspicious, the waterbender drew a deep breath and calmed herself. "I haven't killed anyone."

"Yet your dress is torn as if you have been bending and the victim's wound could as easily have been made by a blade of ice as of steel. I also suspect that there is a component to your story that you are not telling me. Please, Master Katara, try to understand how this looks." Hito's sharp brows were furrowed and he raised his hands in empty cups that caught the rain. "Please understand that we cannot allow you to wander freely around the palace, around the Fire Lord and his guests, when you might be dangerous."

Resistance would look suspicious, but was it wise to let the royal guard take her into custody when Katara had encountered so many underhanded guards already? Would she be in greater danger if she was in a cell or on the run? Furthermore, if she stirred up trouble, how likely would it be for Sokka's identity to be revealed?

And, if it was found that her brother was sitting in the Fire Lord's seat and that Zuko himself was missing while Katara allegedly went on her murderous rampage, how much more trouble would they all be in?

The waterbender shut her eyes and bowed her chin and, when a heavy hand landed on her shoulder and began guiding her out of the courtyard, she did not resist.

* * *

Mai led Zuko through the long hallways of the house and the firebender was careful to only step where she stepped; a single creaking floorboard could give them away and these country homes seemed built of nothing but. Still, the walls were richly hung with tapestries and traditional Earth Kingdom souvenirs that Lord Bau Li had collected in his travels during the war.

In silence, they passed the cracked doorway where a lamp burned just a wink away from darkness and, for an instant, Zuko spied Mai's mother bowing to place a kiss on Tom-tom's cheek, as poised as if she was still at court. Her voice, though, came in the soft croon that mothers reserve for only their babies. He did not hear the words, but felt compelled to duck his chin and look away.

Slowly, they climbed a set of stairs, skipping certain ones, and made their slow way down a final corridor. Zuko could not help but glance up again and again at the door at the end of the hall. The light from beneath gleamed against the polished wood of the floor and, again and again, the firebender had to look away. He thought of high treason. He thought of a widow crooning.

And then Mai threw the door open and dodged in and to one side as Zuko rushed past her, drawing his blades with the harsh ring of steel.

Lord Bau Li, bent over a weighted scroll at his desk, looked up. His graying beard was still tidily trimmed and his robes were fine, but he lacked the polish his daughter had achieved through a childhood of relentless training in appearances. His eyes were wearier than they had been, his face more lined, but he did not look surprised and, when he spoke, his voice was as calm and determined as ever.

"You brought him, then. Excellent work, daughter."

Zuko heard the door close softly behind him. Bau Li's mouth quirked up at one side.

* * *

AN: Like I said, hopefully the next chapter will be done later today. Until then... any thoughts?


	44. Chapter 44

AN: Woop! I get to keep my promise! Thanks for all those reviews, everybody!

* * *

Katara was escorted to a guard station that was not so far from one of the secret passages she and Zuko had used to sneak in and out of the palace. The station consisted of little more than a large room halved by a wall of bars. After seeing her to the 'holding facility' and dismissing the guard who was to find Lin, Lieutenant Hito assured Katara that he would confer with his superior with all due haste and that, once her innocence was certain, she would be released. Then, he marched off, two men at his heels. The pair of remaining guards lingered at a table against the far wall, playing a game that involved dice, tiles, and awkward silence.

The cell was equipped with a couple of cots but little else and, after a long moment of consideration, Katara sat down on one. It looked far from clean, but she figured the dress was ruined anyway and there was no point in standing around for the hours it would take for Zuko to return and figure out what had happened. Despite Lieutenant Hito's assurances, she doubted that she would be released any time soon. After all, while there was no real proof that she had killed Tao, there was also no real proof that she hadn't. She imagined the Fire Lord would make a pretty convincing character witness, though.

Idly, she wondered if any other Fire Ladies had prior-arrest records.

Though her anxiety about the missing Chu Tan still boiled in her gut, Katara's fear of the guards had faded once she had made up her mind to cooperate. For one thing, Lieutenant Hito continued to refer to this captivity as a formality and had made no move to restrict her bending in any way. For another thing, she was far from defenseless; her hair and clothes were still soaked – as were her two guards.

Still, from the corner of her eye, she caught them shooting a lot of sideways glances at her and, when they spoke, they leaned close together, whispering. Their dice clattered and their tiles clacked and, finally, after what felt like hours of captivity, Katara had swallowed her fill of the tension. She drew a deep breath and turned to look directly at them and say something conversational, only to find them both already subtly watching her.

Or, more specifically, her leg, which was bare from ankle to hip where her torn skirt split. The instant they realized she'd caught them, both dropped their wide eyes back to their game, faces reddening right up to their topknots.

In Katara's mind, another pair of guards surfaced. She saw Cho and Yan and the sick sizzle of their lust. The surge of anger carried her to her feet. "You should both be ashamed of yourselves." Their eyes returned to her, settling on her face now. "Eyeballing a prisoner like a pair of hungry vultures. Where's your human decency, huh? Where's your honor?"

For a long moment, both men sat very still. Then, the older of the two slowly laid down his game tiles. With a deep breath, he rose from his creaking chair and turned to face the captured waterbender. He was near her father's age, with gray just beginning to touch his temples and stubble on his chin, but Katara only stood straighter, glaring. His brows knitted together and, when he bowed to her, the expression on his face was one of stern repentance.

"I apologize, Master Katara. It was not _our_-" From the corner of his eye, he shot the other guard a glare, which won him a scrambling reaction as the youth quickly rose and bowed as well. "-intention to make you uncomfortable. Please forgive a man's weakness in the presence of such loveliness and know that you are safe, here. No harm will come to you under our watch."

"Yeah – I'm sorry, too, Master Katara." The younger man tried to mimic his partner's serious expression, but seemed to tend toward nervous chatter. He offered her a sheepish grin and a shrug of his bowed shoulders, barely flicking his eyes back up to hers before dropping them back to the floor. "But, I mean – hah! – can you blame us? It's not every fool who gets a look at the leg of the future Fi- Ow!"

"What he means…" The older soldier retracted his elbow, gaze still humbly lowered. "…is that only a low excuse for a man would exploit a captive and only a fool would ogle the leg of the woman who claims the Fire Lord's affections."

"Yeah," said the youth, rubbing his ribs and casting a sour look at the other. "Any fool who isn't blind. Or deaf – you'd have to be to not hear the rumors about His Majesty finally-"

"Master Katara, pay no attention to my young partner; he suffered head trauma in the war and was tragically damaged beyond repair." His lip curled beneath his sideways glance. "He chronically forgets that no decent soldier speculates about his Lord's personal life and-"

"You're the one who told me the story about Prince Zuko's belated Fourteenth Year Ceremo-"

"Shut up, you idiot! I only told you so you'd stop pestering me with questions about Lady Mai! Lady Mai this, Lady Mai that – like you could think of nothing else."

"Well, I'm sorry that my condition is such an inconvenience for you!"

They had, by this point, abandoned their bowed postures and stood facing each other, pointing fingers and glaring. Katara crossed her arms, sat back, and watched with mild interest as their argument turned to some matter of personal history. Her anger was slowly supplanted by resignation and, with a sigh, she resumed her seat on the cot and let her awareness of the rain distantly pounding against the roof trickle through.

How she wished Zuko was here…

As the guards' argument finally began to fizzle out, the waterbender heard a blissfully familiar voice from the corridor, accompanied by approaching footsteps.

"-am quite certain that Master Katara was not involved in the way that you suspect, Lieutenant. She is a lady of the finest moral fiber. Also, I would urge you to consider the Fire Lord's reaction when he eventually discovers that you incarcerated his lady friend…"

Katara leapt to her feet and gripped the bars, beaming in relief. Though he was not Zuko, Former General Iroh was a close second when it came to character witnesses.

Her two guards assumed sharp salutes as the voices drew nearer. "With all due respect, sir, I should really clear this with the Captain before I release her – what if-?" Lieutenant Hito backed through the doorway, hands held out in a plea.

"Nonsense! As you are well aware, the Captain is busy hunting for the intruder reportedly dressed as a servant…" Iroh, mask dangling from its ribbon below his bearded chin, strode into the room after the harried officer, waving a hand as if Hito's doubts were flies buzzing about his head. When he spotted the waterbender, he offered an apologetic smile. "…and it simply would not do for Master Katara to languish in a cell until the Captain finds the time to free her. I will take full responsibility, of course, as I am certain this is all just a misunderstanding. At worst, a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time – right, Master Katara?"

She nodded vigorously, still gripping the bars. "Exactly, Former General Iroh."

The old man held up his hands as if everything was settled. "There you have it, Lieutenant! Now, where are the keys? Something tells me Master Katara could do with a soothing cup of Jasmine tea."

* * *

"Dispatch him, quickly, Mai. I'm told he's quite dangerous."

In the silent moment that followed, Zuko whirled to face Mai. She stood very still by the door, a tall shadow with blank, expressionless eyes. In that moment, all Zuko could think to do was brace himself for the fight to come and wish he had listened to Katara, had trusted Katara's instinct.

He wished Katara was there.

Then, Mai reached one gloved hand up and tugged the fukumen down her chin. The room was so quiet that he could hear her slow inhalation before the descending burden of her sigh.

"I'm afraid I had to change the plan, Dad."

Behind his mask, Zuko blinked his wide eyes. In a flash, he wondered just how long Mai had teetered between the two options of betrayal. He wondered what had made up her mind. He looked back to Lord Bau Li. There was no time to wonder, now.

The nobleman's brow furrowed and he did not seem to notice that he had lowered his calligraphy brush to the paper before him. From its tip, a black blot was spreading. "What do you mean, Mai?"

"I cut a deal with the Fire Lord."

Bau Li's face pulled down in horror, the lines deepening, lengthening. He blinked and shook his head back and forth. "But- but we had a strategy, a solid plan. It was simple. It would have worked. Why-?" The brush slipped from his fingers, slicing a thick line across his work. He did not seem to notice. "You would have gotten everything you wanted back, Mai. Just as I promised it. Why would you choose this?"

The noblewoman paused. The silence stretched. Then, with slow steps, she came to sit in the chair before his desk. Zuko, who had once watched her so closely, could see the way she settled in a certain spot and knew she had sat in this chair many times before.

"I know you miss the old days, Dad. I know you miss how easy things were when you could take whatever you wanted and I know I grew up surrounded by gifts and luxuries because you chose to use that prosperity to please me and the rest of the family." She shook her head slowly. "But the old days are over. Putting Azula on the throne wouldn't bring them back. Neither would using me to buy off Zuko – especially not if he ever found out that you tried to have Katara killed."

The Fire Lord tried not to react to this. He had noticed the entry in the ledger Mai had shown him – a sum matching the payment he had seen made to the guard who had attacked Katara the night of her arrival and dated some days prior – but there had been no note accompanying the expense. Behind his mask, he scowled.

Mai went on, her posture unchanging, her tone perfectly calm. "The night I arrived at the palace, I discovered that your strategy to return me to the Fire Lady's seat was completely impossible. I suspect your informant intentionally misled you about Zuko's marital prospects, because every scullery maid I saw was prattling on about the Fire Lord shacking up with the waterbender."

At this, Bau Li's brows jumped up his forehead and his eyes bulged. Then, in a breath, he seemed to come upon some grand understanding and shook his head. "The old fool…"

Zuko's gut lurched. Was this informant the same anonymous nobleman who had hired Chu Tan? In his efforts to perform this task for Mai, he had forgotten all about that other opponent. He hoped that Katara had not been as absent-minded as he had, but already a weight of dread was lodging itself in his stomach. He needed to return to the palace, immediately.

Unfazed by her father's preoccupation, Mai continued. "For the good of the Bau Family, the only reasonable thing left to do is to try to repay our debts and change our practices to cooperate with the new regime. I have told you this – repeatedly – but you didn't want to listen to reason. The Fire Lord did."

The way her jaw hardened would not have been noticeable to anyone who had not watched her since childhood. Zuko looked away, though Bau Li's eyes narrowed.

"After tonight, I will take control of the Bau Family. I will repay our debts to our nation and to our Lord and I will reclaim the honor you have drained from this household."

Mai's father was quiet for a moment. Slowly, he crossed his arms. "So you've come to dispose of your disgraceful old father. When did my child become so righteous?"

"You forget that I spent all of my free time with Zuko for months. He makes it seem so easy."

There was a long silence. Lord Bau Li watched his daughter, then flicked his eyes up to the mask of the Blue Spirit. "I imagine a weapon like this makes murder look very easy, indeed."

Zuko didn't see when Mai closed her eyes, but he did see that they were pinched shut when she turned her head slightly to one side, as if she had been slapped. Her voice softened. "When the Fire Lord orders it for the good of the Nation, it isn't murder. According to Fire Nation Protocol, it is an honorable execution."

After a long moment, Bau Li rose slowly from his desk and came to stand near the window, seemingly unaware of Zuko shifting his position, readying to attack if necessary. Outside, the rain was thrashing the trees, the wind rising to send an occasional wave of drops to rap against the glass. His shoulders rose and fell as he released a deep sigh that turned at the end into a soft laugh.

"Honor. When I was your age, Mai, I thought quite a lot of honor, too. I grew up hearing the same old stories that I later told to you and, as a young man, I thought much as the Fire Lord does – that life without honor or without the chance of reclaiming honor had no meaning." He tipped his head to one side and clasped his hands behind his back. "I suppose I should tell you now that honor is a hollow thing. It's just a trick that we old men have played on the young to justify the orders we give you… but I expect you will figure that out on your own, soon."

He turned to look at his daughter and, from the corner of Zuko's eye, he could see how Mai raised her chin, bracing herself. Bau Li went on, eyes hard and unforgiving beneath their weary sag. "This betrayal will stay with you until your dying breath, daughter. No amount of honor will wash my blood from your hands."

Mai sat very still, her voice low and seemingly void of feeling. "I'm already well aware that your life is not the only sacrifice I have chosen to make in the name of my family's honor, tonight."

"Then I suppose you have no further need of me."

Zuko did not see the glimmer of her eyes, only the sharp turn of her head, the angry twist of her mouth. "That's not true." Her voice roughened. "I will need you as I have always needed you and I will miss you in ways I cannot describe. I hate you for bringing me to this, for setting this task before me – and don't, for even one second, deny that you did." Mai snapped her eyes back to her father.

Bau Li turned to face her squarely, frowning. "I did the best that I could for you. I gave you every opportunity."

Her shoulders dropped a fraction, her voice again blank. "Yeah, you did. You trained me to do whatever it took to honor this family, regardless of what I wanted – and that made me strong. It almost made me the Fire Lady, too, but I'm more grateful for the strength, now… Because, really, this is just one more thing I don't want to do, Dad. One more thing on the long list of things I've done for the good of the Bau Family when I'd really rather just cut my own throat."

Mai was still and silent for a long while, sitting rigidly upright. Her father only watched her with his weary eyes.

Slowly, Mai rose from the chair and straightened into the commanding posture that her body knew so well after years of practice. Unblinking, she spoke the formal, hard words Zuko had recited for her that morning. "Lord Bau Li, you have been condemned by the Fire Lord to death for crimes including but not limited to conspiring against the crown, stealing from the Fire Nation, and high treason. You will be executed by an agent of His Majesty's choosing in accordance with Fire Nation Law and Protocol. These are your final moments; live them with honor."

Zuko had expected some resistance. He had thought Bau Li might summon guards or perhaps turn out to be a greater coward still and make a run for it. He had been wrong.

Instead, the man stood very still by the window and, after a long moment, spoke. "I want to say goodbye to your mother."

Mai peered past him out the window and, after her silence had stretched on long enough, Zuko rose from his crouch and tapped one blade to the surface of the desk, where the calligraphy brush had bled ink across the scroll.

Bau Li's eyes came to rest on the Blue Spirit mask and his mouth twisted as he spoke. "The dog is as pitiless as his master, it seems."

Neither of the black-clad youths replied and, after a moment, Bau Li returned to his desk with heavy steps, closing his eyes as he lowered himself to his chair. His hands were not entirely steady as he cleared away the ruined parchment before him and laid out a single fresh length, carefully smoothed and weighted. As he began writing, he forgot at first to hold back his sleeve with his free hand and some of the characters smeared, his wide silk cuff drinking the ink from the page. Zuko was very aware of the white stretch of skin over his knuckles, the years this man had lived.

Beneath the calm surface, the Fire Lord was alight with urgency. Katara could be in danger; he needed to go back, now. He wanted to demand the identity of the informant inside the palace. He wanted to shake it out of Bau Li before it was too late.

But this was an execution, not an interrogation. To ask questions now would be to deny this man the right to choose how best to spend his last minutes. If Bau Li wished to take his secrets to the grave, that right was his. Fire Nation Protocol was clear.

So while Mai stared out the window at the rain-studded darkness, Zuko tightened his hands around the hilts of his weapons and waited.

* * *

"Er, thanks a lot for busting me out. I was really worried there for a minute… My experiences with guards haven't been entirely reassuring, lately. Really, though, I should probably-"

"Tea before business, Master Katara!" The old man was bustling around the lounge of his suite, preparing a pot. He cast a genial smile over his shoulder as he measured herbs into the porcelain vessel. "And it was my pleasure to help. I am sorry that you had to experience the royal guard's 'guilty until proven innocent' philosophy, first hand. Please, make yourself comfortable. It will take a moment for this to brew."

Katara held her hands out at her sides. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but I really don't have a minute; I have to go find Chu Tan and-"

"Who?" Iroh had his back to her and sounded distracted. He seemed to be heating water with both hands resting on the sides of a pitcher.

"He's this… bounty hunter kid. Zuko had him sneak into the party to identify the guy who hired him to shoot us, but he just kind of disappeared – he's probably the same intruder you mentioned to Lieutenant Hito. If the guards catch him before I do, they might do something awful to him."

"The guards have been chasing this… Chu Tan for the better part of three hours, now, Master Katara." The old man poured the hot water into the teapot, sending up a cloud of steam. "I think, if he can evade them for that long, he will not be caught in the time it will take for you to relax and have a calming cup of tea."

The waterbender's shoulders slumped. Despite her eagerness to find Chu Tan and capture Laotsu, Katara did not want to rush off like an ingrate; Iroh had just gotten her out of jail, after all, and his wisdom had always guided her well in the past. Perhaps a cup of tea and a little wisdom really would settle her nerves.

Because she was nervous. Her heart had been hammering since they had left the guard station and her mind had been a whirl of places to begin searching for Chu Tan and terrible possibilities that might result from his arrest. Perhaps a moment of quiet would help clarify what she needed to do.

She settled on the floor by the low table, sitting atop her folded legs in the most modest position the dress could manage. In the next room, Yoshu seemed to be practicing the Sungi Horn again, which was odd, considering the hour and the ball going on downstairs. "I'm sorry you had to leave your party early…"

"Not at all. I had been there for long enough and, besides, these sorts of events are more for the young, anyway." The old firebender placed a lacquered tray on the table, bearing the tidy porcelain tea set. Then, he lowered himself to the floor in his slow, stiff way. "I tried to convince Yoshu to stay and have fun, but he felt compelled to come back and practice. Such devotion to the things he feels are important!" Iroh raised his brows at Katara, eyes earnest. "I do wish I could compensate him better for all of his work, but one may only give away what one has."

The waterbender nodded her understanding, then peered off to one side. "I, er… Speaking of the ball, I don't suppose you know how Sokka managed with the toasts, do you?"

"Oh! You spent a long time in Lieutenant Hito's clutches, didn't you?" Looking a bit troubled, the old man tugged his gray beard. Then, seemingly remembering the topic of conversation, he smiled. "Your brother performed quite well. He managed to convince everyone that his head was stuck inside the mask with no more than gestures and muffled grunts. It was most impressive; I have never seen Hau so flustered."

He lifted the lid from the teapot and eyed the color of the liquid, sniffed the steam. Then, he poured two cups and set one delicately before Katara. "To be quite honest, no one paid much attention to your brother after the Avatar started his bending tricks… Apparently, he had never had Spark Grape wine before and was so inspired by its delectable flavor that he wanted to develop the concept of drinkable bending. Then, of course, it was only logical that he proceed to edible bending…" He held his cup below his nose, eyes hooded. "I believe he had the best luck with soups and Earth Apples, though Toph certainly offered a great deal of support with his other tests…"

"Ugh…" The waterbender sank her face into one palm and tried not to envision the earthbender hurling food at her pupil while shouting 'rocklike!' Katara had started that entire mess just by passing off her glass to Aang at the start of the night. Along with the shame, though, she experienced a swell of relief. At least Sokka's identity was still secure. That was the important thing.

Looking up, she took her cup into her palms and sniffed the fragrant steam, allowing herself to release one of her many worries as the warm, herbal scent smoothed the jagged edges of the night. There were certainly still things to worry about, of course – Zuko's safety, Laotsu's nefariousness, Tao's murder, and Chu Tan's possible betrayal – but Katara allowed those concerns to drift to the back of her mind, just for this moment.

"Ah, I forgot the cookies!" Iroh set his cup down and rose with a grunt. As she carefully sipped her tea, Katara could hear him digging through his boxes of supplies behind her. "I have the most excellent star-lemon cookies that compliment this Jasmine-medley brew perfectly…"

The waterbender smiled and drank again, letting her mind touch the liquid, the rain still pouring down outside, and, more distantly, the waning moon where it lingered high in the sky above the ceiling of cloud.

* * *

Zuko watched, unmoving, as Lord Bau Li drew away from the scroll with a sigh. His hands had grown steadier as he wrote the letter and, as he laid his brush in its tray, bamboo met porcelain with a firm but hollow tap. Rising, the nobleman stroked his fingers along the lower edge of the scroll, the downward curve of his mouth almost tender. Then, he stood as tall and proud as his daughter.

"I am ready."

Mai turned her gaze from the window to watch her father walk slowly around his desk and lower himself to his knees. Zuko spotted a furrow between her brows and a tightness to her eyes, but she was otherwise calm, perfectly in control.

The firebender drew a slow, deep breath as he stepped past her and came to stand over Bau Li. The nobleman did not look up. Even when Zuko held both broadswords in one hand and drew a knife from his belt, flipping it to grip the blade, he had to nudge the man's shoulder with the hilt to get his attention. Bau Li peered between the knife and the mask of the Blue Spirit, face creasing first in confusion and then disbelief.

"The Fire Lord honestly expects me to-"

Zuko nodded and offered the knife again with a jerk. Behind the mask, his jaw was tight in its determination. This would be done in accordance with Protocol. This would be done right.

Bau Li stared at him a moment longer before raising his hand. His fingers shook slightly as they closed around the leather-bound grip and, as he bowed his head, his wide shoulders sagged. Zuko saw it as a final defeat, a final acceptance of crimes committed; this was no one's victory.

The sound of Bau Li sawing through the hair of his topknot rasped through the room. When it came free in his hand, the nobleman did not look at the bound length of his graying hair. He only gripped it in his left hand as he lowered the knife to his throat.

Zuko saw the hesitation, saw the knife linger a breath from the older man's neck. He did not react as it fell away. Bau Li sighed. "I suppose the Fire Lord thought of this as a kindness, didn't he? A final chance to reclaim a measure honor with the agony of self-destruction." He peered up at Zuko, lip curling slightly, and offered the knife. "I think I'll leave the killing to the professionals."

The firebender accepted the knife and tucked it back into its sheath. The offer had been made; the mandate of Protocol was satisfied.

Bau Li was still watching him, the loose strands of his hair falling about his face, now. "But I would like to look in the eye of my executioner."

Zuko shook his head slowly, again taking a blade into each hand.

The nobleman's eyes narrowed, sly as a fox's. "And what if I offered you the name of my contact? The one who sent that child archer after you? Would the chance at a little revenge make that mask slip?"

The Fire Lord straightened slightly at that, considering.

Bau Li clearly sensed his indecision. "You can trust that I will tell you honestly. It would be a great comfort to send you after the old turkey-goat. His treacherous misinformation has killed me."

Zuko turned his gaze to Mai, wondering if this might be a trick. She only sighed and peered out the window past them both.

"I would not give you away to my traitorous daughter – you have my word on that." Bau Li shot the young woman a frown before looking back up at the Blue Spirit mask and raising a brow. "I will even tell you his name first if you will swear to honor my trust…"

Zuko swallowed. He could, perhaps, determine the identity of the informant by going through Bau Li's correspondence, but Mai had indicated that her father destroyed incriminating letters. Could he even trust Mai to give him information if she had it? Wasn't it better to take this from the source? The man would be dead before he could tell anyone, anyway… Slowly, Zuko nodded his head.

"Excellent choice." The nobleman's lips curled up at one corner. "I don't doubt that you've heard of him – he was a great man, once…"

* * *

"Iroh, it's stopped raining!" Katara grinned at the old man as he returned with a plate of buttery yellow cookies. "The storm is ending – that means Zuko will have a safe journey home." She sighed, leaning her elbows on the table and listening to Yoshu's soft playing. He seemed to be improving and Iroh was right about the relaxing effects of his tea; sitting up straight had become one of life's great challenges. Still, the waterbender was feeling pretty good and her smile was broad as she took a cookie from the plate. "I do like Zuko a lot…"

Iroh blinked at her, then smiled as he lowered himself to the floor. "Yes, my nephew has become a remarkable young man. It is most unfortunate that he lacks confidence the way that he does."

Katara, mouth full of cookie, peered wide-eyed at the old firebender. "Zuko lacks confidence?" A few crumbs shot from her stuffed mouth. Belatedly, she held up a hand to stop them.

Seemingly oblivious to the escaped bits of cookie, Iroh nodded and folded his hands around his teacup. "In more ways than one, yes. While it is often beneficial for a man to think carefully about what he does, there are times when a ruler must act without hesitation. He must know that he can rely on his own judgment far more than he relies on that of his clever old uncle." Iroh peered into her empty cup before raising the teapot to refill it. "…who is, perhaps, the last person he should ask for advice."

"Thank you." Katara raised the cup, again inhaling that lulling aroma before sipping the hot liquid. There was something strange about the sensation of the tea flowing through her mouth – a sort of numbness. Perhaps she had burnt her tongue. Her eyes popped open. "And what's that supposed to mean, anyway? You give great advice." Hadn't she needed advice about something? Wasn't that why she was here?

The old man raised a bushy eyebrow at her and settled the pot back on the table with a dull thump. "That is only because I have made many, many mistakes in my lifetime and can now sense a bad idea from great distances."

Katara frowned at the table before her and sipped her tea again. Something was trying to resurface in her mind, some distant sense of urgency. She narrowed her eyes. "I was… supposed to do something, wasn't I?"

Iroh folded his hands into his sleeves and heaved a sigh. "Well, for the moment, you should probably not go racing through the hallways, searching for Chu Tan or Palanquin-bearer Tao's killer. The guards may find that suspicious."

The waterbender blinked and lowered her cup to the table. "Palanquin-bearer Tao?"

"Yes." The old firebender nodded. "The man you discovered dead in the courtyard. A most tragic end to his employment, though not unexpected for one who seeks to sell secrets within the Fire Palace."

"But… I thought-"

"As for Chu Tan…" Iroh rose slowly to his feet and shuffled across the room to rap on Yoshu's door. He turned back to face Katara as the Sungi horn quieted. "…there is no need for you to worry about the guards finding him before you do."

Katara stared, wide-eyed, as the door was pulled open by a nervous-looking Yoshu. He peered at her, eyes begging her forgiveness, and beyond him she could see a bound and gagged Chu Tan leaning against the far wall. When he saw her, the bounty hunter flicked his eyes towards Iroh and tried to speak. The sound that emerged from behind the gag was just loud enough to be drowned out by a Sungi horn.

Worse yet, Katara could see through the window over Chu Tan's shoulder; the rain was beating ferociously at the glass. She could see it and, in the quiet, she could hear it… but she couldn't feel it at all.

* * *

AN: ...

...Some of you may have seen this coming...

...and some of you may want to kill me dead...

I understand. I didn't want this to happen, _at all_, when I started this story. I mean, I *love* Uncle Iroh and it breaks my heart a little to see him turn to dastardly deedery. It's a cruel turn to take, and it will probably ruin the story for some people. For those of you who feel this way, I'm sorry to drag you this far in. Unfortunately, sometimes sacrifices must be made in fiction. Characters who are loved must die, those who are good must do bad things. I hope you'll stick with me through the end - not far to go, now.


	45. Chapter 45

AN: Dear wonderful reviewers, thanks for everything! I appreciate every piece of support/criticism I have received, even the pieces that are pointy and stick me right in the ego – where it really hurts. (How else does one learn?)

Also, THANKS FOR COMING BACK! I know it's a spooky patch and all, but I've always advocated making sure a creature is dead before proceeding to burial. So thanks to all of you for being brave!

* * *

Zuko stared down at the noble through the eye-holes of his mask, struggling both to breathe and to not curse the man for a liar.

Below the lank strands of his newly-cut hair, Bau Li's half-smile had widened into a smirk. "Shocking, isn't it? The Fire Lord's own uncle, plotting to overthrow him. I almost couldn't believe it, myself, when he contacted me, but his missive was very convincing – you can read it if you want. I have destroyed most of his letters, but I retained that first for just such an occasion as this… It is in that paper cabinet, there." He flicked his eyes to a wooden structure on the far side of the room, but Zuko did not turn to look. He could only stare down at the kneeling nobleman, whose smirk was fading to something grimmer as the silence stretched. "Believe or do not; it is your choice."

The masked firebender blinked his wide eyes and turned to look at Mai. Her expression was unchanging as she stared past him out the window, arms crossed over her chest. There was no widening to her eyes, no sign at all of surprise or disbelief. Zuko shoved this from his mind; Mai was a master at concealing her reactions, so her lack of one surely meant nothing. Nothing at all.

Turning away from Bau Li, Zuko strode to the paper cabinet and dropped a sword in his haste to yank open the top drawer. Within, the drawer was divided into square compartments, each labeled with a letter and filled with an assortment of scrolls From behind him, he heard the nobleman speak.

"Next one down. I filed it under 'R' for 'Revolu-'"

The last of the word was lost as the Fire Lord slammed one drawer shut and jerked the next open. He was not careful. He was not tidy. One by one, he plucked the scrolls from the 'R' compartment, yanked them open, and tossed each document to the floor when he did not find what he was looking for. Relief was just beginning to flood his belly as he whipped out the last scroll, but that relief vanished as he looked on the characters drawn there.

It was, indeed, a letter – a long one, written in Iroh's bold hand and signed at the bottom with Iroh's name. But Zuko knew, to the very core of his being, that his uncle could not have written the words. He quickly scanned through them, then read them again and tried to actually absorb what his eyes were seeing, but only bits stuck with him.

_Dear Old Friend,_

…_recent return… realized I have had my fill of Pai Sho… coming to miss the old games as you and I once played them… _

…_permanent stay in the homeland, but challenges obstruct… discovered that my dear nephew has begun to investigate… I have no doubt that he will eventually realize that I made off with my fair share of tiles and do not look forward to returning them… _

_In the interest of retaining old spoils, I have concocted a most excellent strategy and would not mind the assistance of another player, should you find yourself equally nostalgic…_

And then there was his name.

But Iroh obviously hadn't written that letter, couldn't possibly have. It was a forgery; Zuko had no doubt that it was all an elaborate hoax, possibly a scheme to drive a wedge between himself and the man he trusted more than anyone else. Why, though…

"I have kept my side of our bargain, swordsman." He turned back to find Bau Li watching him from his knees on the other side of the room. Between them, Mai did not seem to have moved at all. The older man raised an eyebrow, waiting. "Do you intend to honor yours?"

There was a second during which Zuko struggled to remember what the bargain had even been, then another during which he debated whether to go through with it, since Bau Li had so obviously lied to him. Regardless of the man's deception, though, Zuko had agreed to the trade and he would not lower himself to cheating a dead man – not even a cheating dead man.

The firebender drew a deep breath as he slowly rerolled the scroll and set it atop the cabinet. In the quiet, the sound of the paper rasping against the wooded surface made him clench his jaw. Zuko bent to retrieve his swords from the floor and returned to stand before Bau Li, careful to square his back to Mai so that she would not see.

The noble peered up at him, aging face pulled into a tightly-contained smirk, as the firebender sheathed one sword and lifted the chin of the mask.

Bau Li's eyes bulged and his mouth hung slightly open as he stared up at the Fire Lord's frowning face. Blinking, the older man regained his composure with a curled lip and a shake of his head. Then, he gave one of his short, humorless laughs.

"Do give that traitor Iroh my regards."

Zuko narrowed his eyes before returning the mask to its place. Then, he drew another deep, calming breath and stepped to Bau Li's side, assuming the ready posture of the executioner and emptying his mind. This would be done right.

The nobleman's eyes followed his movements, but he said nothing else. Rather, he shifted his gaze to his daughter. Mai stared back, unflinching, unblinking. After a long moment, Bau Li lowered his head and spoke to the floor before him, cut hair straying into his face. In his left hand, cradled in his lap, he still held the severed topknot.

"I hereby pass leadership of the Bau Family on to you, my first-born. The responsibility is yours hereafter, Lady Bau Mai." His mouth twisted as if tasting something sour, but he did not look up. "Bear your burden with honor."

From the corner of his eye, Zuko only barely caught the expression of shock on the noblewoman's face as her father's final barb sank in. Intent on his steady breathing, the Fire Lord raised the sword over Bau Li's neck and, at the man's final, almost imperceptible nod, brought it down.

* * *

Katara could only watch blankly as Iroh drew a timing device from his pocket and squinted at it in thought before instructing Yoshu to fetch the Fire Lord. "Likely, he will be seated near Chief Hakoda. They have been getting on famously since the incident on the dance floor…"

The tea server kept casting wide-eyed glances at her and his voice was high with his anxiety. "Master, I will do as you say, but what have you-?"

Iroh settled a hand on the young man's shoulder and peered at him gravely. "Yoshu, you must trust in your Master, now. Remember my promises to you."

The Earth Kingdom youth met the old man's eyes and, though his fear did not fade, he nodded. "Yes… Yes, I remember." With a final glance at Katara, he scurried from the room.

The waterbender did not catch the concern in his eyes because her focus had by then slipped away. The soft ticking of the timing device seemed to compete strangely with the tap of rain against the window of the adjoined room and her eyes were drawn to the glass, where there was only darkness dotted with raindrops. Katara watched, detached, as Chu Tan tried to worm his way out of the window. The ropes binding his legs and arms made it difficult for him to stand, much less operate a latch, but his persistence seemed limitless.

In a distant part of her mind, Katara knew she should get up and help him but moving seemed far beyond her – like asking a lemur to do arithmetic. It just wasn't natural. Bleary, her eyes settled on the half-empty cup on the table before her. Somehow, she had managed to slop some of the liquid out on the table without noticing. She should have _felt_ that… but she couldn't. The place in her being that always hummed in awareness of water was still and silent.

"More tea, Master Katara?"

The waterbender snapped her gaze up to the old man and blinked hard to clear her vision. During her distraction, Iroh had steered a hopping Chu Tan to the table. With a hand on the boy's shoulder, he guided him to sit. Chu Tan collapsed with a grunt and, head bowed, shot a glare up at the firebender. Katara swallowed, feeling inappropriately mellow beside the mutinous bounty hunter. Her mouth resisted movement as she spoke, slurring her words. "What- what kind of tea did you say this was?"

"It is a blend of jasmine and a few other herbs that I encountered during my years of travel. Imagine my surprise when I met for tea with the leader of an Earth Kingdom rebel faction and discovered that the delectable variety he shared with me had muddled my wits and blocked my Chi!" The old firebender chuckled as he settled again on his sitting mat. "Of course, that is not to say that I didn't deserve it; it was an ambush, after all. His little army was being flanked and eradicated even as we sat down to talk… but that is neither here nor there."

Chu Tan was watching Katara closely, gnawing at his gag. She should be anxious, too, shouldn't she? The waterbender drew a breath and shut her eyes, trying to focus. "…neither… here nor…"

Iroh's voice came to her, the distinctive rasp that had given him away. His real way with words. "I traveled a great deal before my nephew's banishment, you know. By the time my son died, I had seen a great deal of the Earth Kingdom…" Katara opened her eyes in time to watch as he refilled her cup with his familiar, practiced motions and then folded his hands into his sleeves. "The day my nephew landed his ship at your village was not the first time I had visited the Southern Water Tribe."

Katara's eyes rose slowly to his face, as if weighed down. His smile had faded away and all that remained was faint sorrow as he peered down at the full cup before him.

"There were… many reasons I chose not to leave the ship. More than I cared to count, in my youth." Iroh's yellow eyes locked with hers and a furrow formed between his brows. "Regret can burrow beneath the skin, Master Katara. It can infect a man and kill him slowly with the knowledge of wrongs he has committed and drive him to do mad things in his vain attempts to rectify a situation."

The waterbender shook her head in an effort to clear it and almost fell over as the dizziness swarmed in. Her fingers clamped onto the table's edge and she glared up at the firebender. His eyes were the same clear gold as Zuko's. "Like betray his own family?" she slurred.

Iroh peered back at her, heaving a slow sigh. "Just so."

* * *

It was all a trick, of course.

Zuko steered the steamer through the torrential rain, gripping the wheel a bit harder than was necessary to guide the boat. One reason for that grip was the regular lurch of the vessel as the rough waves tossed it around like a toy. The other reason was that Bau Li had lied to him, had forged that letter to trick him into a vengeful rage so that he would race back to the palace and cut off his own foot without thinking it through. But no, Iroh had taught Zuko to think things through and, now, he would do just that.

Mai, sitting again at the back of the control room, hadn't said much since they had left her family home. She had followed him out the window and into the forest, had followed him along the slick trails in the dark, had followed him down to the beach, and then had stood with her arms crossed near the boat, staring out at the storm-tossed sea. She had shouted over the rain then, the one thing she had said since her father's execution, but Zuko had ignored her as he dropped into the engine compartment.

"Are you sure this is safe?"

When it had become fully evident that he planned to leave without her if she didn't climb aboard, Mai had returned to her place in the control room, drenched and probably as miserable as she looked.

But Zuko wasn't paying any attention to Mai. He was focused on maintaining a steady south-west heading and on searching for any rocks ahead in the occasional flashes of lightning. He was also focused on the scroll tube digging into his back where he had tucked it through his sash.

It was only a letter. He wasn't even sure why he'd taken it at all. Iroh probably hadn't even written it. So what if it looked like his hand-writing? The world was full of hands – some were bound to write similarly to his uncle's.

The scroll tube had been Mai's contribution. Once the ritual moment of reflection was complete, Zuko had begun rifling through drawers, frustration building as the seconds drained away. He had almost snarled when the noblewoman tapped him on the shoulder, but had turned to find she had prodded him with the polished wood item. It was actually a high-quality case, with the interlocking parts carved to fit tightly together and greased to keep out water.

Other than that, though, Mai hadn't been any help; she had stood at the desk and read her father's letter to her mother, then had stared out the window at the rain. On a level, Zuko knew it was unfair to expect more from her, but his desperation to return and confirm his uncle's innocence drove him beyond sympathy to a determined place where only the wheel in his hands and the ocean ahead mattered.

So he was startled when her voice came at his back out of the dark of the control room like a velvet-wrapped dagger. "I know it's you, you know."

After a moment of hesitance, he turned to face her through the Blue Spirit mask, trying not to let the tension show in his back or shoulders. Had she somehow glimpsed his face when he had lifted the mask? Mai stared back at him with her own mask, not frowning, not smiling. Zuko said nothing.

Finally, her eyes narrowed. "Dork."

Zuko blinked.

"You thought you could just throw on a mask and I wouldn't recognize you? You're probably the only person in the Fire Nation who moves that way. I knew the second I saw you in the garden." She crossed her arms over her chest. "And if that hadn't been enough to tip me off, all your imperious pointing would have done it."

It took a moment and an especially rough wave to remind Zuko that he was supposed to be steering the boat. He turned back and corrected their direction.

"I'm sorry about your uncle."

The firebender whirled and glared at her, though he knew she couldn't see it. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her to shut up, that he already knew it was a trick and she could give up the act already. Mai was watching him again, brow faintly furrowed.

"I would have told you before we left, but I didn't think you would believe me. Actually, I still don't think you would believe me."

She stood and took a few slow steps closer. Though he held his silence, Zuko fiercely reminded himself that she was as much a liar as her father had been. He kept one hand on the wheel to keep it from spinning out of control. The other hand hung free at his side, ready to swat a knife out of the air if necessary.

"You trusted me enough to do this yourself, tonight, but only because you believed I was as loyal to the Fire Nation as you are. Now you know that I considered, however briefly, going along with my father's plan." Apparently ignoring his tension, she came to stand beside him at the helm, looking ahead into the dark. "I wouldn't really be surprised if you handed me the knife next."

It was something in the tone of her voice; the casual ear would not notice it, would chalk it up to her habitually hollow manner, but Zuko had listened to Mai's false detachment closely enough to recognize when it became real. He stared at her pale profile, her refined posture. "You think that I should?"

"If I were you, I probably would." Mai cast him a sideways glance, lifting a brow. "But then, if I were you, I never would have agreed to my request. And I really wouldn't be risking my life to run around in a mask like a kid if I had the power to meet the same ends legitimately."

Zuko narrowed his eyes and turned to check the heading again. "Yeah, well, you of all people should know how things worked out for me the last time I tried to openly pursue justice."

Mai turned her head to look at him directly for a silent moment, but he did not look back. The boat swayed against the sea. "True enough. But you're the Fire Lord. If you don't find a way to make it happen, nothing will really change."

For a long while, Zuko stared into the darkness ahead. When he finally spoke again, he did so while stepping away from the wheel. "We're slowing. Hold our course."

Mai scoffed, peering down at the wheel as if it might contaminate her person. "You actually expect me to touch that? I wouldn't be surprised if this whole ship had Dragon Pox smeared all over it."

Zuko rolled his eyes and strode toward the door. "Just do it. Consider it your first act as a reformed loyal vassal."

As he pushed through the door and into the pouring rain, he stole a glance backward and spied Mai gripping the wheel with the thumb and index finger of one hand. Zuko continued below deck with a sigh. It wasn't much, but it would do.

The muscles in his back seemed to burn as hot as the fire as he finished reloading the furnace, but he hardly noticed. The steamer had not actually begun to slow, yet, and keeping the engine working at such a high speed for such a long duration could damage it, but Zuko hardly cared. The only thing keeping him from staying below and constantly stoking the fire all the way back to the Capital was the knowledge that blowing the engine would prevent him from reaching the Palace at all.

And even though Mai might be as much a liar as her father, and even though Uncle Iroh was certainly not involved in Bau Li's schemes, and even though Katara was capable of defending herself, Zuko knew he had to get back to the Palace. He had a terrible feeling that something serious was going on back at his uncle's ball.

* * *

Katara slapped a hand down on the table and the motion jerked her forward in a nauseating lurch. Beside her, Chu Tan jolted reflexively at the loud sound. She ignored him in favor of forcing loud, clear words from her mouth. "Zuko thinks of you as a father. How can you do this to him? It'll break his heart!"

Iroh dipped his bearded chin. "As it would break my heart to see my nephew assassinated or dragged into another war before he truly has a chance to rule his Nation as I know he can."

The waterbender stared at the old man for a second before pinching her eyes shut and pressing a hand to her forehead. Her fingers were cold against her hot temple and they seemed to slow the spinning inside her skull. "Wait… what? You… But you paid Chu Tan to hand us over to that maniac Lo Wei! How was that _not_ an assassination attempt?"

"Master Katara, it was never my intention for Chu Tan to succeed in his mission." At the old man's weary tone, Katara looked up to find him peering appraisingly at the bounty hunter. The boy had an incredulous twist to his face, only slightly impeded by the gag. "I deliberately found the youngest bounty hunter in the Capital, the most skillful and least jaded – the least likely to take a life. I did not warn him that the Blue Spirit had a skilled and dangerous accomplice and, with my nephew's rather impressive skill at evasion, it was… most shocking to me that Chu Tan managed to shoot Zuko at all…"

Katara was too busy staring at Iroh to really pay attention to the bounty hunter's snort. "But why?" Her voice was barely above a whisper. "He shoots arrows at people _in the dark_. Why would you hire him at all and run even the slightest risk that…" She trailed off, shaking her head.

Iroh laced his fingers together on the table top and leveled his gaze on her. "A deception is like a rug, Master Katara; if the threads are not tightly interwoven, the floor – or the pit beneath – will show through."

Her head was still far from clear, but the waterbender was fairly sure she wouldn't understand this cryptic phrase even if she was fully sensible. After a moment of mental grappling, her lips peeled back to bare her teeth as she leaned on the table. "And Lo Wei was in the pit, right? And Cho and Yan and I _trusted_ you-"

"No!" The old man's eyes widened and he shook his head, waving his palms before him. "I have not had dealings with Former Financier Lo Wei in many years. He was Lord Bau Li's lackey, only." Despite his words, his face was lined with sorrow, brows angled in guilt. His shoulders slumped as he went on. "When you told me what happened to you and my nephew that night, I was more distressed than I could possibly have hidden from you; if you had been looking, you would have seen. It was entirely my fault, though I had no idea that I had set the wheels in motion when I did."

Iroh rested his hands on the edge of the table and Katara sank lower, braced on her elbows and still scowling. The firebender sighed.

"You see, I have been circulating letters amongst the nobles with whom I was once involved in some rather sordid financial endeavors, including Lord Bau Li, with the intent of gathering useful information. After my part in the war, gaining their trust and convincing them that I wished to return to the tricks of my youth was no simple task… I had to make it look as if I truly wished to dethrone my nephew."

The old man bowed his head, retracting his hands to his lap. "I wrote boastfully of hiring a bounty hunter to pick off the Fire Lord's minion and was foolish enough to share what I thought were useless details with Lord Bau Li – such as the location of the intended meeting place. I only mentioned it because Ozai's Arch was such an obvious slap to Zuko that I knew Bau Li would find it especially amusing and therefore convincing. Had I known the price you and my nephew would pay, I would never have disclosed the information."

Katara went on scowling at Iroh, though she could see Chu Tan squirming from the corner of her eye. Apparently oblivious to the bounty hunter's attempts to free himself, the old man settled his woeful gaze on the waterbender. From his seated position, he bowed.

"Master Katara, I do not have the words to express the depth of my regret for what happened. I am so very sorry. While I cannot even hope that you might forgive me, I do hope that you will agree to convey my remorse to Zuko, should it transpire that I do not get the opportunity."

The waterbender blinked down at the top of his gray head and sat up a bit straighter. None of this made any sense. Iroh had them attacked and was conducting some intricate rug-deception, but he didn't want Zuko or her hurt. He was old buddies with Bau Li, but not with Lo Wei. He had drugged her and kidnapped Chu Tan and may have even killed that poor palanquin-bearer, but had just sent Yoshu to get Sokka. In the jumble of Katara's herb-addled mind, none of the pieces would come together. Once again, she rubbed her worry-lined forehead with the soothing cold of her fingers. "Iroh… what is going on?"

The old man rose from his bow and, with a sigh, collected the teapot and cups again on the lacquered tray. "We have entered into the third phase of my most-excellent plan, Master Katara – the final phase."

* * *

Zuko was not entirely sure how he managed to moor the boat without smashing it against the dock, but the gentler waters of the harbor had a lot to do with it. He also had no clear memory of Mai following him from the pier and through the lower city. He only really became aware of her when he paused in the mouth of an alley in the Merchants' District and her breathing came from behind him, ragged from the frantic pace he set. The noblewoman's words came softly, barely louder than her breath.

"…entire city… all uphill…"

Zuko ignored her and rushed on. He felt the strain as well; his legs blazed, his lungs ached, and he had a stitch that felt like a knife in his side. He was soaked to the skin and the air was cooling as night set in. Still, the firebender pressed on, barely bothering to check for witnesses. The streets were nearly empty at this late hour and, the second he hit land, his urgency had built from a seething ember to a blaze in his gut.

They were in the Nobles' District when Mai began to truly fall behind. Zuko only noticed when he caught the sound of her stumbling in her weariness. For a moment, he stopped in the shadows of a compound wall, thinking to wait for her. As he watched her gasp and lean against the wall almost halfway down the block, though, he quickly grew impatient. With a huff that blended well into his own heavy breathing, Zuko strode back down the alley, grabbed the noblewoman's hand, and began tugging her along behind him.

Her exhaustion was almost enough to cover her annoyance, but not quite. Mai managed a few words between winded breaths, though the firebender wasn't really listening. When she stopped and jerked her hand from his, though, Zuko turned back.

"I cannot… do this," she hissed in the dark. He could only see her silhouette, her shoulders heaving and her breath clouding, but he knew her lips would be slightly peeled back from her teeth in her frustration. "Go… I'll catch… up later."

For a second, Zuko debated. If he left her, witnesses would notice that the Red Demon was absent and that would spoil his plan to clear Katara of suspicion. He could continue trying to drag Mai along, but that would only slow him down and, if his hunch was correct and something was happening at the ball, time was of the essence.

Marrying a known vigilante didn't seem as significant a problem as it had that afternoon.

He turned and ran, feet slapping the puddle-strewn cobblestones.

* * *

"As you are well aware, Master Katara, when one devises a political strategy, one must think first and foremost of what observers will see."

Iroh rose with a grunt and carried the tray of tea things back to the table he had been using as a work counter. Katara's eyes slid off of him and along the row of ceramic jars and wooden boxes that held his blends of herbs. They looked to her now like a little row of Fire Nation soldiers, all labeled with red bands of ribbon and standing at the ready. Beside her, Chu Tan squirmed.

The old man spoke with his back to her and, beneath his raspy voice, the porcelain clinked and tapped against wood. "In the case of my particular plan, observers saw the ways in which my dear nephew humored his strange old uncle. Almost a hundred noblewomen watched him grit his teeth and suffer through my tea party. Even more people saw him publicly handing out flowers – which is more a practice of young boys in the Fire Nation – and reciting Ba Sing Se poetry."

He peered over his shoulder at her, eyes crinkling slightly with his faint smile. Chu Tan stilled. "And now there is this masquerade ball which, despite the staff's tireless work and worthy skill, is still extravagant and absurd enough to become court legend." Iroh's tiny smile faded and, a second later, he turned back to whatever he was doing. "My proud nephew would not agree to such things if anyone but I suggested them, Katara. He holds me in the greatest esteem – so great, in fact, that he refuses to see some of my most unpleasant realities. Do not get me wrong; I love my nephew and am glad that he loves me…"

There was a faint sound of impact and, when Katara turned to look, she found that Chu Tan had toppled over onto his side. Still, he wriggled; the ropes around his legs were coming loose. The waterbender snapped her gaze back onto the old man, who was by then bent over and digging through the contents of a small cabinet.

"…but there are things that he must do as Fire Lord and his love for me should not keep him from his duty."

Katara turned back to Chu Tan and leaned closer, reaching for his bonds. The dizziness pulled her down and her fingers were a little numb and clumsy, but she firmed her jaw and pressed on, managing to grip a rope and tug it down past the boy's boots. As she began working on the next coil, she dared a glance up and found Iroh still shuffling through what sounded like papers inside the cabinet.

"When observers saw all of the ways in which Zuko deferred to my… let us call it 'advanced strategic matchmaking,' it only served to further support a suspicion that has rooted into the minds of people in every nation, but most of all the Fire Nation – that Zuko lacks confidence and gladly follows my lead. Which is, of course-" He shot a wry glance over his shoulder and Katara straightened just in time. "-quite untrue in most circumstances." Smiling a little wistfully, he shrugged. "It is mostly just the ladies, anymore." Like all of his smiles, this one was short-lived.

As Iroh went back to shuffling through papers, Katara tugged another loop down Chu Tan's shins. It was getting easier as the rope loosened and her head was clearing as she focused on the task. Perhaps it was that clarity that made the sorrow in the old man's voice so striking.

"However, there are certain instances in which Zuko truly does doubt himself, when he should not."

Katara's hands stilled and, not quite noticing Chu Tan's incredulous look and increased struggles, she turned back to the preoccupied firebender. "What instances?"

"I will get to that in just a moment." With a sigh, Iroh shut the cabinet and moved to another, only to continue his intent searching. "We were discussing what observers of my plan have seen and expect to see. They expect to see Zuko doing what his honored uncle says and they expect me to act as crazy as any old man who passes up a palace for a teashop, so my plan is thus far unsurprising and not in the least disturbing – to most."

Absently, Katara tugged another coil of rope from Chu Tan, but she found her attention dragging back to Iroh. "Most?"

"Yes, Master Katara. There remain some people in this world who remember the man I was in my youth. Those few who remember know that I was once capable of truly terrible things and they find my closeness to the Fire Lord to be, at best, unnerving." Though he did not look up, the sounds of papers shuffling quieted as Iroh stilled. "There are very good reasons for people who remember to not entirely trust me and they are much the same reasons for me to stay in my teashop and for Zuko to wear the crown and rule exactly as he sees fit."

Katara blinked and puzzled on this for the quiet moment that followed, unmindful of the boy struggling beside her.

"Ah! Here they are!" As Iroh turned back to the low table, holding a handful of scrolls and a knife, Chu Tan finally freed his legs. Struggling and staggering like a newborn ostrich-colt, the bounty hunter gained his feet and shot a wide-eyed stare at the old man – and the knife he held.

The firebender stared back at him, brows riding high.

Though his mouth was still gagged and his arms were still bound behind him, Chu Tan managed to back into the door, turn the knob, and tumble back into the corridor in what was, to Katara, a blur of motion. Iroh only watched the empty doorway for a moment before peering down at the waterbender.

"I was beginning to think I had tied the knot too tightly."

* * *

Zuko scaled the palace wall and slipped past his own guards with the ease of long practice. As he darted through the shadows of the garden, the rain hitting the leaves drowned out his footsteps.

Thus, he went unobserved when he passed the two mud-coated combatants who he suspected to be Toph and Aang. It was difficult to tell who was who under that much mud, but their laughter gave them away. Zuko didn't stop to talk; if anything was going on, the two kids with mud in their ears would be the last ones to hear about it.

His body felt on fire after the long run and the wet clothes strapped against him seemed almost stifling despite the evening cool. His shoes, though, had begun to chafe and, once he slipped through a side-door into the palace, the squishing sound accompanying his every step was no longer hidden by the rain.

As he drew closer to the ballroom, Zuko gave up taking cover when partygoers staggered past him on their ways to bed. He got a few funny looks, but it seemed that the Spark Grape wine had flowed liberally and most people just giggled and stumbled on; though drenched and clad in simple black, the Blue Spirit was just another masked man.

There were no guards standing at the door to the ballroom. Zuko tightened his jaw before entering; either someone was breaching standard operating procedures or something was going on that kept his men occupied. Within, the party seemed to be drawing to a close; few couples danced and the chatter was low, the music soft. Only a few faces turned toward him as he entered and none really seemed to grasp that he was no celebrant.

Zuko scanned the crowd for Katara, but did not see her. There were many women in red – in all the colors, actually – and, as the firebender searched, he found that they all seemed to wear similar expressions of eye-rolling disappointment on their faces. This did not really register with the Fire Lord, though; all he really noticed was Katara's absence… as well as Iroh's. Finally, Zuko spotted Sokka at the far end of the room, sitting with acceptable rigidity on an upraised dais beside a man in green. The firebender swiftly wove through the crowd to him.

Despite his lingering sense of urgency, Zuko bowed before approaching the false Fire Lord, as any respectful subject would; if he startled the guards by racing up to royalty, he wouldn't get a chance to talk before the fighting started. At the edge of his vision, the firebender could see one of the guards posted around the room starting toward him, obviously alarmed. When Sokka waved Zuko up with a magnanimous hand, though, the guard paused, unsure. Time was short.

Zuko leaned close to the Water Tribe warrior and forced himself to speak in a voice low enough that the man in green would not overhear. "Where are Katara and my uncle?"

"You know, I don't really know," Sokka said, voice equally low but injected with mild levity. "I haven't actually seen Katara since the toasts started – which, lemme tell ya, is a really funny story-"

"There's no time for stories! I have to-!"

"Is there a problem, Fire Lord Zuko?"

Slowly, the firebender turned his wide eyes to the man in green. He knew that stern voice, those suspicious blue eyes, and that wide lower jaw – after all, he had left a dent in it. Just as he opened his mouth to reply, Sokka shook his masked head and patted Zuko's shoulder. The chieftain nodded and turned back to peer out across the ballroom, though he was clearly still watching Zuko from the corner of his eye.

The firebender became aware of two things. First, he became aware of his posture, his aggressive leaning and the fists that had clenched in his frustration. Second, he became aware that, though Hakoda's suspicious gaze had been settled on him, the chieftain had been addressing Sokka. Apparently, the disguised warrior had even managed to convince Hakoda that he was Zuko.

And that meant that Hakoda had inquired after _Zuko's_ safety when faced with a belligerent stranger.

The firebender stared at the older man until Sokka tugged him close enough to whisper. "Look, there was this – ah – thing… that happened… and I should probably tell you about it before somebody else-"

"Fire Lord Zuko?"

Zuko straightened and turned to find his uncle's tea server, bowing and also addressing Sokka. As the Water Tribe man waved him forward, the youth straightened and began wringing his hands and biting his lip. The firebender's eyes widened. He knew what was coming before Yoshu even opened his mouth to speak.

"Sir, I- I- Master Iroh has… done something… that frightens me…"

* * *

"Now, as I was saying…"

Katara, slack-jawed, looked back and forth between the open door and the old man settling again on his sitting mat. Any clarity she might have gained helping to free Chu Tan must have been an herb-induced delusion because she certainly couldn't be understanding the situation correctly.

As if completely unaware of her stare, Iroh arranged the scrolls and knife on the table before him. "My most-excellent plan is all about what innocent observers see and what conspirators know. Only conspirators know about Former Financier Lo Wei's sedition or that Lord Bau Li stood behind a plot to overthrow the Fire Lord. Only conspirators know that I hired a man to attack the Blue Spirit and only Zuko's closest allies know that he was attacked at all. Many are aware that a faction of Azula-supporters exists, but that awareness is mostly theoretical, so the threat does not seem as imminent as it truly is."

The old man folded his hands together in his lap and turned his gaze to the waterbender. "What innocent observers see, then, is the quiet surface of the sea when, beneath, there is a deadly undertow. This is good news for the Fire Nation, because our political turmoil would only make the other nations rightfully nervous…"

The old man's shoulders slumped as he released a sigh and again looked away. His yellow eyes seemed drawn off to one side in particular and Katara, following his gaze, found that he was looking at the two portraits on the long side table. Zuko and Iroh's son smiled faintly, side-by-side.

"…but it is not such good news for Zuko, who is surrounded by his enemies and feels he must keep their crimes a secret, both to maintain the Fire Nation's tranquil front and to avoid giving the court the impression that he punishes certain families in the interest of personal gain. This is where the excellence of my plan finds its focus."

The waterbender tore her eyes from the portrait's familiar, scarred face and returned them to Iroh. In contrast to Zuko's youth, he looked older than she had ever seen him. The lines around his eyes seemed deep enough to conceal libraries of secrets. "By now, innocent observers are coming to realize that corruption is closer to the crown than most of them ever imagined. They will notice Yoshu's genuine concern for your safety while you sit here with me. They will overhear him as he tells your brother that you seemed unwell after drinking the tea I made for you, that I had him lure a servant from the party, then tied the boy up and made my unfortunate employee watch over him." He dropped his eyes to his hands where they were folded before him. "After all of this reprehensible behavior, I would not even be surprised to find that, once the unfortunate demise of Palanquin-bearer Tao becomes widely known, there will be much speculation that I was the one who killed him."

"You mean you didn't?" Having not thought about the words before speaking, Katara absently raised a hand to her mouth, though she went on watching the firebender with her brow furrowed in question.

Iroh's bushy eyebrows inched up his forehead. "It seems I have woven my rug tightly, after all…" The waterbender thought she saw a little hurt in his yellow eyes, but they lowered too quickly for her to be certain and all she could really recognize was his weariness. "No, Master Katara. I did not. Palanquin-bearer Tao was one of the four servants who accompanied me to my meeting with Chu Tan. I requested each of them specifically, knowing that they all had ties to families I was investigating and that they would carry rumors of my comings and goings back with them. I cannot know for certain, but I suspect one of the other palanquin-bearers discovered that Tao was trying to gain your trust and concluded that he knew too much to have it."

The waterbender gaped. "And… and they just killed him? No threats, no… no…"

The old man's brow furrowed as he frowned at her. "As I said, Master Katara, I cannot know for certain. Hopefully, the royal guard will sort it all out. In the mean time…" Iroh used a single thick digit to align the knife with the scrolls beside it. "…it is beneficial to my plan that innocent observers believe that you are in terrible danger, so I do not intend to disabuse them of that suspicion."

Katara blinked. "You mean I'm… not in terrible danger?"

"Only of the unpleasant headache you will have once the effects of the tea wear off – it will take another hour or so." For a moment, there was silence except for the rain beating against the glass in the adjoined room. To the waterbender's ear, the sound was oddly empty, as if the rain had once had a voice that was stifled, now. She realized then that her feet had grown numb beneath her from the demure pose she had somehow maintained all this time.

Iroh was peering again at the portraits on the side table. "I confess that I only drugged you for appearances' sake… and so that I would not have to dodge water whips while having this conversation. When I discovered that you had been arrested, I was afraid we would not have time to talk. But…" He pulled the ticking device again from his pocket and, after checking its progress, smiled at her, though something in his eyes kept it from being an entirely happy expression. "…luck has been with us. We have some time to spare."

"And then what happens?" With a deep breath, Katara leaned forward against the table to resettle her legs to a more comfortable position. Though she no longer felt dizzy, it seemed many forces were working against her this night; the dress rebelled, tearing higher up her hip and splaying to reveal the whole of her leg. Hot-faced and annoyed, the waterbender leaned one elbow on the table and tugged the torn edges of silk together.

Iroh, cheeks a touch pink, seemed to be enthralled in his examination of a spot on the far wall as he tucked the device back into his pocket. "Very soon, my nephew and your brother and probably Chief Hakoda will arrive. Hot on their heels will be the Royal Guard and, very likely, Lord Laotsu and the other most enterprising of rumor-mongers. As Zuko had planned, the Blue Spirit and the Fire Lord will be seen together in public, eliminating any suspicion that they might be one and the same."

The derisive huff was out of her mouth before Katara even knew it was coming. "I doubt Zuko will care much about that when he discovers you've been working behind his back this way, 'most-excellent plan' or no." She shook her head, narrowing her eyes at the old man. In the next room, the rain rattled against the glass. "What was the point, anyway? You keep going on about what people see, but all I see is Zuko's only family betraying his trust and making sure there are as many witnesses as possible."

At this, Iroh lowered his gaze to the dusty scrolls before him. "Katara, I did not come to the Fire Nation to partake in the joyous tedium of diplomatic negotiations. I came because I was concerned for my nephew when I heard about the return of the Blue Spirit."

At this, the waterbender sat up a little straighter, eyes widening.

Iroh went on peering at the row of scrolls with his hooded eyes, as if reading bad news that he had read a thousand times before. For the first time, Katara noticed that some of the scrolls had the sharp edges of new paper while the others were yellowed and slightly tattered in their age. "Zuko used this persona in the past to act out against powers beyond his control – the Fire Nation, the Dai Li. Now, he is using it to sneak around in his own kingdom because he feels his people will not trust his motives if he punishes those who are breaking the law."

Finally, Iroh looked up at her, yellow eyes sharp and mouth set in a firm line. "I came to prove to the people of the Fire Nation, once and for all, that Zuko will do what is right, regardless of the personal price he must pay."

From the corridor came the sounds of running feet.

* * *

AN: So... anybody as confused as Katara? I struggled with this chapter because it's so crammed full of information and I read through it almost enough to make my eyeballs bleed just to make sure that everything was clear. The next chapter will, of course, explain more, but anybody who wants to point out indistinct spots or fuzzy logic is hereby encouraged!

Also, just so we're clear, the revelations in this chapter were not affected in any way by reviewers' threats to jump ship. It makes me very sad to think that, after over forty chapters of decent characterization (except, notably, for Mai's non-Zuko loyalties… D: ) some people apparently had no trouble at all believing that I had abandoned the care I have thus far shown in order to pursue the Dramatic Conclusion. I suppose this lack of trust is probably largely my own fault - after all, it can be difficult to trust a writer who tags little disclaimers and excuses on the ends of chapters and perhaps fails to take herself as seriously as she should - but let us consider the writer's character and how she clearly cares enough to try before we vent ALL of the wrath upon her for something she hasn't done yet. Constructive criticism is much appreciated and very welcome and I often find discussions of possible plot options to be wonderfully informative, but laying a literary smack-down on me for what other writers have done is neither necessary nor cool.

If it comes to it, I will be sad to lose those of you who choose to carry out your threats and I do hope you'll leave me a real zinger before you go so that I can more effectively assess what really makes readers chuck a book across the room. I am, after all, a scientist.


	46. Chapter 46

AN: A big thank you to all of my reviewers - you're all wonderful and very-much appreciated! Thank you for the many, many reassurances you've given me. Some of you have been extravagantly generous with your praise and - I can't lie - it's been the ego-boost of a lifetime. Thank you, equally, for the thoughts, the suggestions, the constructive criticism, and the bare-knuckled honesty - I appreciate every opportunity to grow as a writer and you have supplied many, many opportunities. Thank you, everyone!

* * *

Zuko didn't wait around to hear the whole story. As soon as the phrase 'tea made her woozy' left Yoshu's mouth, the firebender bolted from the dais, scattering nobles in his hurry to cut across the dance floor. There were some shrieks and alarmed murmurs, but the firebender paid no attention.

Probably just bad tea leaves, really… Probably an accident…

A pair of guards tried to stop him at the door, crossing their spears and yelling some command that he didn't comprehend. He saw their resistance coming a long way off, had noticed the increasingly uncomfortable shuffles of soldiers stationed around the room. The longer he had stood amongst the finely-dressed guests, the more obvious it had become that he was not one of them.

Zuko rolled beneath the cross of the guards' spears and, smoothly regaining his feet in the corridor, took off at a sprint. Despite the squishing of his shoes, he easily outpaced the armored men and, after a few turns, seemed to have lost them.

But then, as he leapt up the stairs of the guest wing, he came across an unnerving sight. A young servant, with a gag in his mouth and his arms bound at his back, came racing down the stairs toward him. There was an instant of recognition on the boy's face before he lost his balance and ran bodily into Zuko. Both went hurtling back to the last landing.

Winded by the dual impact of stone floor and skinny kid, the firebender glared up through his mask as the boy wallowed to his feet, kneeing him in the gut in his hurry. The little wretch looked vaguely familiar, but Zuko couldn't place his face. It was his voice, almost squeaky in its panic as it forced its way around the gag, that he remembered.

Zuko climbed to his feet and, with the knife from his sash, cut the gag away. Chu Tan immediately started talking. "You've gotta stop Lord Iroh – he has a knife and Master Katara's drugged up and practically naked and he kept feeding her his sob story about how he didn't _mean_ for me to shoot you and I think he's gonna do something really-"

Chu Tan quieted and peered down the stairs that Zuko had just climbed. An instant later, the firebender heard it, too – the fast approach of feet. He grabbed the boy's thin shoulder and spun him around so that he could cut the ropes holding his arms. "You're going to distract the guards. Do whatever it takes to slow them down."

The bounty hunter twisted his neck to stare at Zuko with one wide yellow eye. His voice was a little extra squeaky. "Distract the Royal Guard?"

As the bonds fell away, Zuko gripped the knife – the same knife that had cut the hair of the traitor Bau Li – and wondered whether the noble's lies had slithered this far. Was Chu Tan another of the man's pawns, like Lo Wei? For an instant, he considered grabbing the boy and demanding to know just where his loyalties lay, but the instant passed. Zuko slid the knife back into its sheath. "Yes. Distract the Royal Guard, Chu Tan."

The bounty hunter turned and, dropping his gaze, bowed hand-over-fist. "Yes, Fire Lord Zuko." His eyes were still a little wide, but his narrow shoulders squared as he faced his sovereign.

Zuko turned to go, but hesitated, gaze settling on the boy's bowed head. "Take a lot of turns; they have to slow down for corners because of the weight of their armor."

The boy's eyes flicked back up to the mask for an instant and his lips quirked upward at their edges. "Yes, Fire Lord Zuko."

With a final nod, the firebender raced on up the stairs. He took three at a time and focused on his breathing, tried not to feel the scroll tube digging into his back and tried not to think about how each rumor he heard was worse than the last.

The corridor seemed strangely empty. A single door stood ajar and, as Zuko sprinted the final yards to reach it, he found himself listening between his pounding footsteps for raised voices, for water rushing through the air. The quiet was conspicuous and terrifying. He burst through the door and stood in the threshold, taking in the scene.

Iroh sat across the low table from Katara, his furrowed brow and tight mouth bespeaking determination and his yellow eyes locked on the Blue Spirit mask. The waterbender was squinting at the old man when Zuko entered the room, but her eyes widened as her focus shifted to him and she seemed to wobble a bit, despite leaning on the table. Her skirt was ripped up to the waist and the dusky skin of her leg contrasted with the white of her bindings and her blue eyes were wide with fear or worry or sorrow – the firebender could not tell which.

For a moment, Zuko could only stare at Katara as his heart waged war with his mind and his eyes. His uncle would not tear Katara's clothes, yet her clothes were torn. His uncle would not drug her, yet her eyes seemed to slip in and out of focus as she peered back at him and, when she spoke, her voice was faintly slurred despite its urgency. She raised her hands, patting the air as if to calm him.

"It's all just a rug, Zuko. Er… not a real rug, but that other kind… what's the word?"

Though what she said made no sense, the sound of her voice yanked unexpectedly at a place deep inside the firebender and broke him from his shock. In a rush, he came to kneel beside her, clutching her hands to his heaving chest and stroking the escaped tendrils of hair from her cheek. "Are you alright? What happened to your dress?"

Katara's eyes narrowed for an instant as she looked down at the ruined red silk. "I found a dead man in the courtyard and I tore my dress so that I could defend myself, but then your guards arrested me… That's not really important, though…"

"What is important is that Master Katara discovered the evidence of my past wrongdoings during her visit," Iroh said. He lowered his chin slightly and cast a significant glance toward the tabletop before him. Zuko followed his gaze.

There, arranged in a tidy row, were the documents. Iroh's plan began to grow horribly clear. Zuko's hands fell away from Katara and he sat back, still breathing heavily, and looked up again at the old man.

"Uncle…" The quiet settled, stretched. Zuko hardly noticed Katara's hands as they shuffled nervously against his chest, hardly heard her murmur something about not actually knowing what those scrolls were. Iroh only stared back at him, waiting. "Uncle, why would you take these papers from my office?"

"It was the right thing to-"

"No!" The Fire Lord shot to his feet and yanked the mask from his face, revealing his bared teeth as he hurled the thing to the floor. "The situation was under control, Uncle! The evidence was safe where it was – no one had to know!"

Iroh frowned up at him for a beat and opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off.

"_What?_" Katara looked back and forth between the two firebenders, disbelief clear on her face. Her eyes settled on Zuko and she gave a tiny shake of her head. "For Yue's sake, how many times am I going to have to ask – what is going on?"

* * *

She watched the anger fade from his face, the embarrassed tilt of his brow, the sideways scuttle of his gaze that looked so much like shame. Still, Katara couldn't seem to understand. Zuko rubbed the back of his neck, squinted, and opened and closed his mouth a few times.

"What my nephew is trying to say," Iroh said as he nudged a yellowing scroll fractionally further into line, "is that he came upon documentation of my youthful indiscretions while reviewing old financial records. He has known for quite some time that, even as the Crowned Prince, I profited from a number of Former Financier Lo Wei's schemes, but has yet to tally up my debt and hand me a bill-" He raised his brows at Katara. "-which, I must tell you, will be quite substantial."

Zuko spoke slowly through his teeth. "I know very well how much you owe, Uncle – so much that you cannot ever hope to pay it all back. I also know what happens to debtors in the Fire Nation when they can't pay and I know that you know that, too." He stabbed a finger through the air toward the documents on the table and his volume rose steadily. "What I don't know is how exposing the proof and forcing me into this position could possibly be a good idea! Or – how about this?" The Fire Lord yanked what appeared to be a wooden scroll case from the back of his sash and tossed it down before the old man. It clattered against the tabletop, rolled, and stopped against the point of the knife that rested beside the row of scrolls. Zuko held out his hands before him, clenched and pleading. "Conspiring against me? Hiring the archer? How was _that_ a good idea, Uncle?"

Slowly, Iroh picked up the case and extracted the roll of paper inside. His eyes barely scanned over the words before he again looked back up at his nephew and laid the scroll slightly apart from the others before him. He did not blink, did not waver from the hard expression that had taken his face. "That was a good idea because it was the only sure way to separate the nobles who are merely corrupt from those who might be swayed to treason. Lord Bau Li, for instance, was easily drawn out. Others will come, as well – especially after tonight. The rest…" He brushed one of the aged scrolls again, brows drawing upward slightly. "The rest was a good idea because it is necessary and right. You know it as well as-"

"No, Uncle! I don't know that at all!" Zuko fell into the belligerent posture Katara remembered from so long ago; his hands fisted and his elbows bent and he pointed a furious finger at Iroh. "You were supposed to let me think about the situation and let me decide how to proceed. How could you take the choice from me this way?"

Katara's eyes narrowed and her head tilted slowly to one side as if she was trying to identify a strange animal. It almost sounded as if they had discussed this, at least part of it, already…

Iroh's brows tugged upward slightly. "Because I have watched you make mistakes before, Zuko, and I know when a big one is coming. The price is too high, this time, and I won't let your clouded judgment dethrone you when you worked so hard to get to this point."

"My judgment is not clouded!" As if startled by the loudness of his own voice, the firebender drew a great breath and his shoulders slumped. His yellow eyes pinched shut and he hung his head. "How could you do this to me? I only hid the documents because I don't want to lose you, Uncle. How could you do this to me, now?"

"Zuko…" The tenderness in Iroh's voice drew Katara's gaze as well as Zuko's. The old man held out his hands before him on the table, offering some invisible gift to his nephew. "You chose to demand payment on the old debts and that was the right thing to do. You were forced to use fear and shadows to punish those who would not pay because you doubt that your people trust you. Your reign was supposed to put an end to fear and shadows, my nephew – not create a new era in which their use was justified. I am giving you a chance to blow aside suspicion and rule in the open as you had intended, Zuko," he said as he waved a hand as if sweeping the table of its contents.

As Iroh went on, that hand tightened into a fist. "You will punish your dear old uncle, who you love and trust enough to allow him make a fool of you with flowers and tea parties, and when your people see this, they will know the truth of your devotion to justice. They will trust their Fire Lord, completely."

Zuko was shaking his head, brow angled back in denial. Iroh continued before he could speak.

"You no longer need me as you did when you were a banished prince, Zuko. You have found-"

"Now, _that's_ ridiculous." Katara crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the old man as he raised his bushy eyebrows at her. For no reason she could identify, she was remembering the way Mai had looked as she sat in Zuko's office that afternoon, staring out the window at the falling rain. "How can you say that? I mean, if my father told me I didn't need him anymore, I'd argue with him. A father isn't something you just _grow out of_. And, even if it was, even if Zuko _doesn't_ need you anymore, how could you betray his trust this way? How could you force him to execute you after all that he's been-?"

"Execute?" At Zuko's startled tone, Katara turned to see the widening of his eyes, the bewildered furrow of his brow. "Who said anything about executing Uncle Iroh?"

Katara blinked and pointed across the table at the old man. "He- but he said…"

"Force Zuko to execute me?" Iroh was also watching her with the same wide, golden eyes. "What, are you crazy?"

The waterbender was not entirely aware of her face sliding into a fierce scowl as she jabbed herself in the chest with one thumb. "Oh yeah – _I'm_ the crazy one. I'm the one who drugs people and comes up with devious plots to not-overthrow my nephew. I'm the one who sails off in a storm to kill someone but forgets all about that time my uncle paid the kid bounty hunter to shoot me. Crazy Katara – that's me!" She flung her arms up in the air. The ragged seams around her shoulders tore further.

Zuko rubbed the back of his neck and peered at the old man, brow furrowed. "I haven't forgotten about Chu Tan… but Uncle had a point – having the Blue Spirit attacked was an effective way for him to gain the trust of others who would conspire against me." His expression soured. "Though there was probably a _better_ way of gaining their trust."

Iroh interrupted, eyes hooded and one hand absently tugging at his beard. "After my part in the war – betraying the Fire Nation to stand behind Zuko and the side of balance – and my subsequent refusal of the crown, anything short of treason would have been an obvious attempt to root out potential sponsors of revolt. In fact, the only reason Lord Bau Li was so eager to help me was the very appealing possibility that I might guide Zuko to place Lady Mai back in the Fire Lady's seat." Iroh shrugged faintly, offering Katara a woeful glance. "All lies, of course, but the chance of having a foot in both camps – should Azula fail to escape – was too tempting for such an opportunistic man to resist."

The old firebender wove his fingers together over his belly, seemingly unaware of Katara's narrow-eyed scrutiny. "Apart from Lord Bau Li, the other noble families were hesitant to trust me even after I employed Chu Tan. I suspect many will be convinced of my genuine criminal nature once news of this evening begins to spread. Then-" Iroh shot his nephew a measuring look. "-dealing with their reactions shall be a simpler matter."

Zuko, arms crossed firmly over his chest, grumbled. "You mean the rebel sentiments will become acts of rebellion that I'll have to put a stop to."

"Better an open wound that can be cleaned than an infection that festers beneath the skin, my nephew."

Katara dragged a hand down her face and glared at Iroh over her fingers. Her voice was a little muffled against her palm. "Wait, back up and explain to me why you aren't being executed for treason – because instigating rebellions sounds a lot like treason to me."

Iroh folded his hands into his sleeves and tipped his head slightly to one side. "As I mentioned before, my most-excellent plan relies upon what innocent observers see and what conspirators know. When the guards arrive, they will see these documents evincing my past misdeeds. They will see this letter I wrote to Lord Bau Li that vaguely suggests what might be an illegal plan. They will see you, in the state that you are in, and they will see the Blue Spirit, come to rescue the future Fire Lady."

The old man shrugged slightly, gaze lowering to the table before him. "The only people who know of my connection to Chu Tan would expose me at their own peril; down to the last palanquin-bearer, all are or were involved in sordid financial matters to which they would not wish to draw attention. My arrest will be deeply unnerving for them – because, though my nephew may be so merciful as to only send his uncle to the coal mines for his inescapably obvious crimes, his mercy might not extend beyond his blood."

"You're not going to the coal mines," Zuko snapped. His arms were still crossed over his chest and his expression was fierce. "I don't care how much you owe; you're too old for mining and I'm not sending you to die in a hole in the ground over money. I'll figure something else out."

"Hey, I'm not _that _old…"

Katara's face pinched in confusion. "The Fire Nation sends debtors to the coal mines?"

Zuko's eyes flicked to her, his scowl fading. "To work off what they owe."

"Doesn't that seem kind of-" Her gaze shifted past the Fire Lord to the still-open door. She could hear more footsteps approaching. "Zuko – your mask!"

With a final strained frown at his uncle, he bent and scooped up the blue-and-white object, settling it over his face just as someone burst through the door.

"-skinny kid doesn't know where _anything_ is!" Hakoda and Sokka were both breathing heavily, as if they might have made a few trips up and down the stairs before reaching their destination. It was the older man who had spoken and he stood in the doorway as Sokka, still masked, stepped into the room. The chieftain's wide eyes flicking between his daughter, the old man, and the Blue Spirit. "Katara, are you alright?"

She nodded, but her attention was caught on Sokka, who pointed at Iroh as his muffled squawk emerged from behind the Ocean Spirit mask. "But… but you're a Grand Lotus! You're _good_!"

Iroh blinked, brows riding high, and opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by Hakoda, who was also staring at the blue-clad youth. "Sokka?"

Zuko heaved a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. Katara raised a finger, trying to catch her father's attention. "Hey Dad, you know that whole-"

He didn't seem to notice anything but Sokka, who had turned to look at him through the mask's eyeholes but had otherwise remained very still. Hakoda lowered his urgent voice, leaning closer. "Did Katara and Zuko approve beforehand?"

The waterbender was on the brink of affirming this when she noticed Sokka's nervous shrug, the sheepish tilt of his head. Iroh spoke before the question could fully form in her mind and the beaming grin on his face was obvious even before she turned to see it. "Ah, that's right! It was _Sokka_ who publicly confirmed that Zuko and Katara are engaged; all of these masks can get so confusing to an old man… Congratulations!"

There was an instant of stunned silence before two voices rose in outrage.

"You did _what_?"

Katara found herself inexplicably standing and glaring at her brother. Sokka waved his palms defensively before him. "I didn't have a choice! Dad pretty much made me do it. I mean, hah! It's actually a really funny story…"

"We'll have to hear it later." Zuko's voice was comfortingly close, despite being a growl. "The guards are coming."

She hadn't intended to stagger up against him, but the dizziness that had faded returned in a rush now that she was on her feet and, in the time it took to blink, Katara lost her balance and pitched firmly into Zuko. He emitted a soft huff at the impact, but his arms quickly came around her and he held her to his side, peering down into her face. She imagined she could see his eyes widening in alarm through the holes of the mask.

"Katara? What's wrong?"

"Sorry – just dizzy…"

When the guards arrived, they saw the documents and Katara's torn dress, just as Iroh had said. They saw the knife sitting near the hand of the thrice-disgraced old general. They saw the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe and the Fire Lord standing side-by-side and watching as the woman who was soon to become the Fire Lady clung to the wanted vigilante, the Blue Spirit. They saw the way his hand rested lightly on the torn shoulder of her dress, obscuring her dusky flesh from their eyes.

A lot of rumors were born that night.

Under the watchful eyes of the Royal Guard – and, peeking in over their armored shoulders, a smattering of curious nobles – Katara allowed herself to be transferred from Zuko's arms to Sokka's and immediately missed the firebender's warmth. Admittedly, her brother was warm as well, but he also smelled like a giant, sweat-drenched sock. The waterbender focused her attention on staying vertical and on Sokka's whisper to Zuko. "You talk. I'll act."

After an instant's hesitation, the Fire Lord moved a step behind and to one side of the warrior, into what Katara suspected was a subordinate position. Then, he spoke.

"Men, arrest Former General Iroh." The waterbender felt her brother move his head and raise one arm to point at the old man still sitting at the table, but she was listening to the softening tone of Zuko's voice. "He is to be held until I decide on a punishment that fits his crimes."

Miraculously, the deception seemed to work. The guards approached Iroh slowly, as if expecting a fight, but he only sat in place, his narrowed eyes shifting between them and the false Fire Lord. The grinning man Katara knew was artfully concealed. After a tense moment, he sighed and frowned, shoulders sagging a degree. "A wise man accepts just retribution for his misdeeds. I will go quietly."

Though Katara watched closely, she could see no suspicion on any of the guards' faces as they collected Iroh and guided him from the room. The old general still frowned, but Katara spied the upward quirk of one side of his mouth as he shot her a sideways glance. Even the nobles lingering in the doorway seemed too caught up in the events unfolding before them to notice that the Fire Lord's voice had not come from the man dressed as the Fire Lord. Perhaps it was the shock of the moment, Iroh's unexpected betrayal. Perhaps the masks threw off the sound.

"Fire Lord Zuko?" The waterbender turned her head to look squarely at Lieutenant Hito, who bowed as he approached. His eyes shifted between Sokka and Zuko. "What of the Blue Spirit, sir?"

Both young men turned their masked heads to face each other for a moment. Katara huffed and eyed the officer. "You can't seriously mean to arrest him, too. He's saved my life." It wasn't exactly a lie – after all, Zuko had saved her life a number of times.

Hito blinked, then ducked his head. "Yes, Master Katara, as you say, of course." This deference seemed strange and new, but the waterbender noticed the way he gritted his teeth, the way his furrowed brow drew upward in a sort of desperation. It seemed he couldn't stop himself from going on. "But… the Blue Spirit is a known criminal and standard operating procedure dictates…"

Zuko's voice sliced through the officer's protest. "If Master Katara wishes to spare the Blue Spirit, then he will be spared. Is that clear, Lieutenant?"

Hito's eyes widened, but he didn't look up. "Yes, Fire Lord Zuko. The Blue Spirit will go free. Please pardon my audacity."

"Very well," Zuko said, though his tone implied that the Lieutenant's audacity was being filed away for future consideration. "Find Lin and inform her that I will be retiring soon. You're dismissed."

"Yes, sir."

As the Lieutenant marched from the room, Zuko whispered. "Get to my quarters as quickly as possible. We need to be there before the servants arrive." He turned away, but ran directly into a hard-eyed Hakoda.

Zuko fell back a step and the older man steadied him with a hand on his shoulder. Katara cleared her throat, not so sure she liked the tension she saw in her father's jaw. His eyes flicked to her, then back to the masked firebender as he removed his hand. His voice, when he spoke, was almost so soft that Katara did not hear.

"We will have words about this, tomorrow… Zuko."

With that, Hakoda strode from the room, as well, shooing a path through the nobles that lingered around the door. Sokka sighed. "I just started to get him to like you, too."

Katara pinched the tender spot below her brother's ribs, perhaps a bit harder than was fair, and he gave a muffled yelp. Without speaking, Zuko shot the other young man a look and walked into the adjoined room, where rain still pattered against the glass. He shoved the window open, climbed outside, and was immediately swallowed by the night.

"He seems to be taking this pretty well," Sokka whispered. "I mean, you know, for Zuko."

Katara stared out the open window for a long moment, but did not speak. Several nobles were still waiting just outside the door and she did not want them to overhear her or read her lips. Instead, she laid her head on her brother's shoulder and heaved a sigh.

"Master Katara?" She looked up again to find Yoshu squeezing between the finely-dressed people at the door. His face was drawn in a combination of fear, relief, and sorrow and he immediately dropped into an Earth Kingdom bow as he approached. "Master Katara, I am so, so sorry for everything that I did and I only agreed to it because Master Iroh said it would all be okay and he promised you'd be okay and you're okay, aren't you?"

The waterbender blinked. "Yeah, Yoshu. I'm okay. Just a little dizzy…"

Yoshu bowed again and went on about how sorry he was, but Katara couldn't seem to follow what he was saying. She wanted to shake the sluggishness from her limbs and chase after Zuko. She wanted to forget that any of this had happened. Her head was starting to throb between her temples, a tiny ringing sort of ache.

"…and it isn't that we're greedy, my brother and me, but we grew up with nothing and the Jasmine Dragon is everything to us, now, and he just _offered_ it to me and he said nobody would get hurt. I…" Yoshu trailed off, clasping his hands together before him. "Master Katara, please believe me; I would never have agreed if I had known what Master Iroh planned to do and, by the time I figured it out, all I could do was go along with it. You… you do believe me, don't you?"

Sokka heaved a sigh and gave her shoulder a squeeze – a silent suggestion to hurry up. Katara only stared at the tea server for a long moment, then shut her eyes and shook her aching head. "Sure, Yoshu. I believe you. I… think I'll be going to bed, now."

She hardly saw his face redden or his eyes flick to the young man supporting her. As her brother guided her from the room, the few nobles still waiting by the door dispersed, except for one. Lord Laotsu's smile spread between his sideburns and his golden eyes twinkled as he watched her pass, bedraggled and clinging to the false Fire Lord.

* * *

AN: I LOVE feedback. Have I mentioned how much I love feedback? LUVIT!

For those of you interested, I think we're looking at two (possibly three) more chapters. So close!


	47. Chapter 47

AN: I can't say it too many times - reviewers, thank you! Thanks to everyone! For all of the things! Here's a little hot, premarital citrus, just for going to the trouble.

* * *

Zuko found Mai in the garden as he was making his way to the royal wing. The rain had softened to only occasional drops and the grounds were quiet except for the most insistent of night insects, buzzing from the shelters they had taken beneath leaves and branches.

The noblewoman sat rigidly on a stone bench, staring at the black surface of a pond with her hands folded in her lap. It was strangely unlike her to sit in the rain; Mai was often dreary, but Zuko had never known her to show much interest in the dramatics of genuine sorrow. It occurred to him that, despite all the dark clothing and all the moping and sighing, he had perhaps never seen her truly depressed, before. He paused some distance behind her and tried to think of something he wanted to say, but nothing came to him.

"The guards saw me climbing down from the wall on my way in," she said, her low voice almost swallowed in insect song and the faint patter of rain. "That's good enough, right?"

Zuko watched the surface of the pond shiver in the faint light from the palace as the occasional raindrop struck it. "Yeah. That's good enough."

"Good. I guess I'll go back to my room, now." She rose and walked past him on her way to the guest wing and it was only as he heard her receding footsteps in the wet grass that Zuko figured out what it was he had wanted to say.

"I'm sorry about your father, Mai."

Her footsteps stopped, but he didn't turn to see what she was doing. He could only stare at the light glimmering off the water, the brightest thing in the dark. After a long moment, after Mai's steps resumed and diminished with distance, Zuko remembered what he had told Sokka and Katara – that they needed to beat the servants to his bedchamber – and he hurried on his way.

Getting to his quarters through the empty corridors was easier than getting out had been and, soon enough, he was slipping through the concealed door to find Sokka half-dressed and Katara pacing as she rubbed her temple. The second she noticed him, the waterbender released a sigh of relief and rushed to him, flinging her arms around his soggy torso.

"Zuko, I'm so glad you're safe. With everything going on and then the storm…"

She didn't finish the sentence, but it hardly mattered. Dropping his mask to the floor, Zuko sank his face into the seam between her neck and shoulder and let his arms encircle her, slid his hands over the ruined silk of her dress. Her hair, fallen loose from what must have been an elegant style hours ago, tickled distantly against his scar. Words were caught like a bone in his throat.

Of course, words came much more easily to some people than they ever came to Zuko.

"What, am I invisible? You guys seriously don't care at all that you're emotionally scarring me right now, do you?" Zuko looked up to find Sokka hopping on one foot in his underwear, trying to simultaneously remove a boot and the blue trousers of the costume. "I don't think you realize the depth of the sacrifices I made for you tonight, Jerkbender. Now I'm gonna have to spend the next month making it up to Suki for- Woaugh!"

Zuko flinched as Sokka, finally yanking the boot free, toppled to his face on the floor. Katara made no effort to turn and check on her brother, only dropping her face to his shoulder and heaving a breath. The firebender frowned. "What are you making up to Suki?"

Sokka scrambled up from the floor, retrieved his own clothes from the drawer in the wardrobe where Zuko had stashed them, and climbed into his pants. All the while, a frown tugged at his face. "Oh, nothing much… It was a regular evening in the life of the Fire Lord – drunken airbenders, bears on the table, and noblewomen throwing themselves at me left and right…" He paused at this and stood up straight with his hands on his hips and his shirt draping open in front, baring his narrow chest. "Not that I blame them, of course – I mean, I am irresistible…" His smug smile faded and his eyes narrowed at Zuko as he shoved his shirt into order and tied his sash with a few jerky movements. "…but I'm also married. I gotta go."

"Wait, Sokka… what was that about the noblewomen?" Zuko blinked after the warrior as he stalked to the concealed door and, with a steady flow of grumbling and a dismissive wave of one hand, shoved through to the corridor beyond. "Sokka?" The door shut.

After a long, quiet moment, Katara looked up at him. "Tell me he put on his clothes before he left."

Zuko blinked down at her for a second. "He may have been barefoot." As she again hid her face against his shoulder, he cast a worried glance at the concealed door. "I wonder what happened at the ball."

"Beats me. I missed most of it, between jail and…" She froze, stiffening in his arms, and Zuko could feel the weight of all that had happened settling between them like a wedge being hammered home. Finally, Katara drew away and frowned up at him, hands still resting on his waist. "Why didn't you tell me that Iroh was one of them?"

He couldn't stop the guilty slide of his eyes as they settled on the skin of her shoulder where the sleeve was ripped from her dress. Lightly, he traced the torn edge with his thumb. How much of this could have been avoided if Katara had known? Zuko heaved a sigh. "That first night, when I brought you here and explained what had been happening, you were convinced that I was stealing from my own people. If I had told you about Uncle, then, and about all the things I did to keep his crimes secret… How could you have trusted me to punish the corrupt among my people, knowing that I was just as guilty, just as corrupt?"

Katara was silent. Zuko went on, still not meeting her eyes as he rubbed the nape of his neck. "And I kept the secret because… well… As soon as I realized that Uncle Iroh might have been involved, I broke into my own financiers' record library and stole everything I could find that incriminated him. That was months ago. The day he arrived, I confronted him about it and tried to convince him to pretend it hadn't happened, but he changed the subject. He just wanted to talk about getting me married. I should have known, then, that he wouldn't just quietly go along with my plan."

He shook his head and dismissed the topic. Thinking of his uncle at all seemed to sap what little energy he had left, leaving him with just a raw feeling in his chest. "Anyway, by the time you joined me, I had been hiding the evidence in the bottom of a paper cabinet for all those months." He frowned and stared down at the paleness of his skin against the shoulder of her dress. "I… I was ashamed, Katara. I'm still ashamed."

For a long, tense moment, Zuko was only really aware of the weight of his shoulders, the stiffness of his neck. Then, her fingers settled on his scarred cheek and, brow tilting back in surprise, he looked up. Katara seemed more sad than angry. "There's a big difference between stealing money and trying to protect your family, Zuko." She watched him then, as if trying to come to some decision. Her fingers brushed his scar, the sensation floating just beyond his reach. "What other secrets are you keeping from me?"

"Secrets?"

"Things you don't think I need to know about that inevitably come back to bite both of us." She arched a brow. "Like 'I'm the Blue Spirit' or 'my uncle has a history in embezzling' – you know, the little things."

Zuko nodded and dropped his eyes off to one side. They were drawn again to her torn sleeve, where loose threads fringed over her dusky skin. "Right. The little things… Ah… Drinking jasmine tea gives me these little sores in my mouth."

He looked hopefully back at Katara. She did not appear to be impressed. "Alright. That's a start. What else don't I know?"

"Uh… oh! Azula is being held in a tower here in the palace."

The waterbender's eyebrows did a surprised little hop. "That's more like it. Why would you want her so close?"

"She's dangerous. I don't want to forget that and I don't want her out of my reach, in case a rebellion breaks out… and sometimes I like to visit." At this, Katara's eyes bulged. Zuko offered a little shrug. "Some days, she just insults me, but we can still have a decent conversation from time to time."

She only blinked for a moment. "Sorry… that's just really hard to picture – a decent conversation… with Azula, who is crazy and tried to kill you several times."

"She doesn't know it, but her tea is infused with a sedative. It helps." Katara still didn't seem convinced, but Zuko decided it was time to change the subject anyway. He tapped his fingers against her shoulder, trying to think of a new secret. His eyes widened as a very new one occurred to him. "Mai's father tried to put her back in place as Fire Lady, but she chose to turn him over to me, instead. Apparently, the rumors about us helped convince her."

The furrow in Katara's brow deepened and she shook her head slowly. "And you didn't see fit to tell me this before you left?"

"I didn't know until she talked with Bau Li about it. And… She knows I'm the Blue Spirit, too. She recognized me."

The waterbender only sighed and shut her eyes, rubbing her temple. After a silent moment, she spoke. "Are you still so sure she can be trusted?"

"Even more so, now." Katara looked at him, then, expression mildly incredulous. Zuko went on. "If she lets on that she knows anything at all about the Blue Spirit, she will be connected to her father's execution – which looks a lot like murder, right now."

The waterbender nodded, though her creased brow did not smooth. "I guess we're lucky to have such scandalous reputations, then, aren't we? Otherwise, she might not have changed sides at all."

Zuko nodded but didn't speak. Rather, he watched her worried brow and the slow, circular motion of her fingers as she rubbed her temple. "It wouldn't have mattered, you know. If she had decided to follow her father's plan. It wouldn't have worked."

Katara again nodded, looking especially weary. "Lin explained that it didn't look good for Mai to come back to you, now. She said the court would side with me if there was some kind of dispute."

"There wouldn't have even been a dispute, Katara." She blinked her blue eyes, those eyes that glimmered like rippling pools in the low light of the oil lamps around the room. "You're my partner. We may not be married, yet, but I'm committed to you." Zuko raised a hand from her shoulder to give a dismissive wave, shaking his head. "Mai might have believed that a woman who had spent a night in my bed was tougher competition than she could handle, but she and I had nothing at all to compare to the bond between us. She never stood a chance."

As the furrow returned to her brow, Zuko immediately doubted himself, afraid he had revealed too much when she might not feel the same way. He frowned and watched his hand resettle on her torn sleeve, thinking fast.

"Mai never stayed in your bed?"

Zuko's eyes bulged and his face heated. "Er… I mean…"

At that moment, Lin rapped at the door before entering, her eyes appropriately downcast. The Fire Lord had never been happier to see his head serving woman. He offered Katara an apologetic shrug and turned his attention fully on Lin. The waterbender watched him a moment longer before stepping away and facing the older woman as well.

Lin looked first at the blue pieces of the costume that were scattered across the floor like the petals of some giant shattered flower. Her nose gave a subtle twitch and Zuko realized that he could faintly smell the odor, as well – a giant flower with Sokka's sweat for nectar. Slowly, Lin's gaze crept to the pair across the room and, as her eyes flicked for an instant up to Katara's ruined dress, they widened slightly. She seemed to pay no attention at all to his black clothing, this time.

When she spoke, Lin's voice was almost gentle. "Do His Majesty or Master Katara have any need that I might attend to before they retire?"

"Yes." Zuko cleared his throat. "There is a boy running around the palace dressed as a servant. He may require someone discrete to show him a way out."

She bowed her head a degree farther. "Yes, Fire Lord Zuko. Is there anything else?"

"Lady Mai might like something hot to drink. And…" He hesitated, casting his eyes to the floor. Command drained from his voice. "Please make sure my uncle is comfortable."

"It shall be done as you say, Fire Lord Zuko," Lin said. She still gazed at the floor before her and, for the first time in memory, Zuko noticed the way her eyes drooped with their weariness. It was no real wonder that she might be tired – he did not ordinarily keep his head serving woman up so late – but something in her expression hinted at a deeper source.

"Lin, is there something you wish to say?" The words defied Protocol, but still he spoke them and did not shy away as her eyes flicked up to him.

That subtle something he had noticed was immediately swept away, as if it was no more than an embarrassing book left out when an acquaintance came to tea. Lin's eyes returned to the floor and her voice, though as calm as ever, seemed to regain a measure of briskness that had not been there a moment ago. "A humble servant can only experience concern for her Lady's wellbeing, given the state of her dress."

At this, Katara straightened, her shoulders squaring and her eyes widening. She seemed, for a second, stunned. "Don't worry about me, Lin. Actually… I did this so that I could defend myself if I had to." One of her hands toyed with the torn hip of the dress.

"There is no doubt that Master Katara is prudent and capable. Unfortunately, such virtues will not serve her well when she next faces Seamstress Yun." Lin's eyes flicked up to the ragged waterbender for a dry instant before her gaze shifted to Zuko. "A match made by Agni himself, it seems."

Zuko could only rub the back of his neck.

When Lin finally departed to run Zuko's errands, Katara turned to face him, arms crossed. She seemed to be waiting for something.

Blinking, he shrugged. "Er… Seamstress Yun doesn't like me, either…"

Katara, with a half-smile and a shake of her head, rolled her eyes. "We were talking about Mai."

"Were we?" The edge of nervousness in his voice was obvious to his own ears. He wanted to change the subject. He wanted to talk about anything but what had or hadn't happened with Mai. His desperation must have shown on his face, because her expression softened and she closed the distance between them, placing a kiss on his cheek beneath his scar, where he could feel exactly how soft her lips were. When she drew back, Katara peered up into his eyes, not quite smiling.

"It doesn't really matter. Are you ready to get out of those wet clothes, yet?"

Zuko didn't need more urging than that. He peeled them back slowly and as each garment came off and hit the marble floor with a splat, the Water Tribe woman seemed unable to stop touching him. She ran her hands over his chest and back and her palms were cool like waves against his steaming skin.

"I'm just so glad you're safe," she said, again.

The more she stroked him, the more Zuko found that he needed her to. The night had left a terrible, blistered place in his chest that he could not touch, himself, but her hands and her wide eyes watching him soothed that ache. "I'm glad you're safe, too, Katara. I shouldn't have left you alone, that way."

"You shouldn't have gone off alone."

Zuko did not always understand things, but he understood this. He understood that her fingers, now combing through his hair, would save his life again and again, that the way she steadied him as he tugged his shoes off went deeper than good footwork. He understood that, as his sodden pants dropped around his ankles and he stood before her in just his loincloth, he could never quite be naked enough under her eyes.

He understood that, without his partner, he had been halved.

Katara seemed to understand it, too. She watched her own fingers weave between his with a faint furrow between her brows, as if this was more than two hands entwining, as if she was binding herself with him in some deeper sense. The painful place in Zuko's chest seemed to diminish as she met his eyes and squeezed his hand. He smiled faintly and returned the pressure.

Her lips slowly spread in a gentle smile and, tracing her free hand up his chest, she raised an eyebrow. "It's come to my attention that you're the man to go to about destroying Fire Nation formal wear."

Zuko's lips quirked and he pulled his hand from hers to slide his thumbs against the strip of bared skin that peeked through the tear at the waist of her dress. "I admit – for a first try, you've done some pretty nice work, here."

The sound of the seam coming apart cut through the room but the silk hardly whispered as it hit the floor. He found the subtle knots of her bindings without even fumbling; having seen her take them off once, he would never forget. The strips of cloth tumbled apart around her breasts, her beautiful, strange flesh that felt so soothingly cool against his palms, his chest. Pressed against her, he could not see her hands as they slid down his hips, tugging his loincloth slowly lower. All he could see were her eyes, shining up at him, the brightest things in the dimly-lit room.

"Tell me what you need, Zuko."

What he needed was sleep, but his mind flooded with the things he wanted – to kiss her, to touch her, to sink himself inside the liquid depths of Katara in the hot press he kept imagining. He wanted to feel the mighty clenching of her, not with his finger but-

Zuko sighed and tore his eyes from hers. Honor beneath the surface. They had agreed. "I… I just want to touch you. Like last night."

She was silent for a moment, watching him. He did not look up, oddly distracted by the sore throb in his chest. Her voice was just above a whisper, a vibration. "Like last night, huh?"

When she started gently pushing him, Zuko finally looked up again, brow furrowing until his back bumped the wall. Katara's mouth came first to his lips, quick and tender, and he could not suppress his sigh or the shutting of his eyes as he relaxed against the wooden panel she had pinned him against. His hands came to rest over the bindings at her hips, sliding as if by magnetism into those places that fit so perfectly. Perhaps in response, she rubbed her pelvis forward against him, grinding his throbbing erection. Zuko released a little growl into her lips and pushed back.

Katara broke from the kiss and, with a smirk, began trailing kisses along his jaw and beneath his ear. He found himself tilting his head to give her everything she seemed to want from him. It was only when her lips explored his collarbone and began a breathy slide down his chest that he really absorbed what was to come.

Like last night.

"Katara, you don't have to… ooh…" Her teeth rasped across his nipple and his hips gave a spasmodic thrust and he offered no more protests, no more words but her name and soft oaths. She slid down between his hands like water slowly escaping, tugging his loincloth to his ankles as she nuzzled the faint line of hair below his navel. His cock sprang free and Zuko gritted his teeth at the maddening sensation of her hair tickling that desperate flesh.

He watched, wide-eyed, as she lapped at the tender place below his hipbone, as her hand encircled the base of his throbbing organ. He almost didn't notice her other hand sliding slowly up his thigh as Katara's breath pooled against his groin. A strangled sound emerged from his throat when she dragged her tongue along the side of his shaft and dipped its tip into the ridge below his swollen head.

"Ah, please!" he said through gritted teeth. She looked up at him then, blue eyes so large and bright and-

"Ow."

"What?" Zuko blinked in confusion. An annoyed furrow had formed between her brows.

"You're pulling my hair. Ow."

Zuko found that his hands had come to rest on the highest part of Katara – her head – and that he had burrowed his fingers into her tumbled waves and was _gripping_ her there. "Oh!" He immediately relaxed and withdrew his hands to rest against the wall at his sides. "Sorry, Katara… I got kind of… excited."

Indeed, his chest was rising and falling rapidly and his mouth was dry from all that breathing. He swallowed.

The waterbender was analyzing his face, her lips curling up in a tiny smile. "It's okay to touch… just don't pull."

Zuko was distracted by the shortness of the distance between her smiling mouth and his aching erection, but he nodded his understanding. "No hair-pulling," he agreed before really absorbing the rest of what she had said. Hesitantly, he raised a hand and stroked the side of Katara's face – her beautiful, familiar face – letting his thumb stray over her slightly-parted lips. The kiss took him by surprise, soft and wet against the callused pad of his thumb. He did not draw his hand away as she opened her mouth and slowly captured the head of his organ.

It was a blur of sensations – her hair tickling his fingertips, her hand clamped around his shaft, the slick suction of her mouth… the sway of her beaded locks that followed her head's slow bobbing. The dazzle of desire in her eyes as she peered up at him.

And then, with humiliating alacrity, Zuko's hips involuntarily jerked forward and he was panting and groaning and Katara's eyes grew wide as his release spilled into her mouth without warning.

The firebender spent a long while just breathing, staring at the high ceiling, and waiting for the embarrassment to fade enough that he could look Katara in the eye. He knew he should say something, apologize, but he couldn't seem to find the words. The blistered place inside his chest blazed and the mortification stung there like salt.

Katara rose before him, but he couldn't bring himself to look at her. "Zuko?"

He pinched his eyes shut and hung his head, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He hadn't realized until that moment, until he raised his leaden arm, just how tired he was. As the fog of lust faded from his head, all of the events of the evening became achingly clear. He had stumbled like an idiot into his uncle's trap. He had been revealed to Katara for his own corruption. He had taken a life, tonight.

And now he had shown this shameful lack of control. A killer, a fool, a boy playing at manhood, he had practically trapped her into marrying him, now; how could she not despise him?

So Zuko was bracing himself for her annoyance and anger – perhaps her disgust – and was trying to come up with an excuse that wouldn't deepen his shame when her hand, still so soothingly cool, settled on his raised forearm. Her voice was urgent, fretful. "Zuko, did I do something wrong?"

Startled, he lowered his hand from his face and met her eyes. She was leaning toward him, head ducked slightly in her own uncertainty. "No!" He lowered his voice and dropped his eyes off to one side. "No, Katara, you… If anything, you did something… too right." His face was getting warm. Forgetting his comfort of moments ago, he was becoming increasingly aware of his own nakedness. "Sorry for… that."

"For what?"

Zuko looked up to find the waterbender's brow furrowed. He crossed his arms over his bare chest. "For… you know."

Katara frowned and raised a dry brow. "If I knew, why would I ask?"

He stared at her, then. It wasn't like Katara to try to embarrass him. Did she honestly not understand? Zuko tightened his mouth into a line and set his eyes firmly on a point on the floor off to his right. He forced the words out. "I'm sorry for not warning you before I came. And for pulling your hair. And… and for not… lasting…" He shook his head, frowning in concentration, and racked his brain to find the magical words that wouldn't embarrass him further. It was impossible. His face was hot, but he spoke. "It's just that… that's never happened to me, before. What you did, I mean. And it was… _really_ great and the end just kind of came out of nowhere… but it shouldn't have. I should have been in control, but I just… lost it."

"Zuko…" He hazarded a glance back at the waterbender and found her watching him with a faint smile. Her face was reddening, now. "I actually really liked seeing you come apart that way. I mean, I could certainly do without the hair-pulling, but it was exciting to me that I could do that to you… because you're usually so careful about maintaining your self-control. Is…" Her brow furrowed and she shook her head. "Is this some kind of big deal in the Fire Nation?"

He blinked, stunned because it had not occurred to him that this brand of humiliation might not cross the cultural boundary between them. Hadn't her father and the other tribesmen laughed him out of their common room just that afternoon over his accidental confession? But then he remembered Katara's easy admission the previous night – that she had never seen an aroused man, before. He remembered Sokka's oddly sober voice.

_Hey, there's no shame in being inexperienced…_

Zuko sighed. Some tightness within him released. "I… Yeah, I guess it is." Katara crossed her arms over her breasts, not out of self-consciousness but in a gesture of waiting. Her expression was patient, kind. Zuko forced himself to go on. "In the Fire Nation, men who… lack experience with women are considered to be less passionate and are seen as lesser men… So such men don't like to bring it up."

Katara nodded and her mouth formed a little 'o' as if something had just become very clear to her. Her fingers idly stroked the inside of her bicep as she thought for a moment, then tipped her head to one side. "I guess Sokka was right…" She grinned at him. "The Fire Nation is crazy."

The Fire Lord only blinked as she sidled closer, unfolding her arms and settling her palms on his chest.

"How could anyone sane think less of someone who saves lovemaking for love? And besides…" Zuko's brain stuttered. Love. Katara's eyes were locked with his and her hands slid up and behind his shoulders. The smile spreading across her face was affectionate and touched with no small amount of smugness. "Only a crazy person would mistake you for a lesser man, Zuko."

Words fled but for a few and they were the sort of words one should think about carefully before saying and the firebender was in no state to think carefully. He could only stare at her as she traced her fingers up his neck and into his hair. Her naked breasts brushed his forearms where they crossed between them and, without a thought, he relaxed and slipped his arms around her to rest low on her back, just at the edge of her bindings.

Then, she stepped closer and he winced as the fabric over her abdomen caught at the still-damp flesh of his sensitized organ, an uncomfortable scrape of pleasure and pain. Katara's eyes widened and slowly explored his face as the smile faded from her lips. She backed away and slid her arms down to catch his hands. "Come to bed, Zuko."

He obeyed, letting her lead him across the room. His legs felt heavier than they had earlier, his body sluggish, and he only stood watching as she flipped the blankets back. She climbed between the sheets and scooted away, then sat up and cast him an expectant look. Zuko only stared at Katara for a long moment. Her breasts protruded from her chest, nipples dark and relaxed and smooth and so beautiful. Her throat swept up from her strong, narrow shoulders. Her blue beads swayed by her jaw, bright but lacking the luster of her eyes. Her blue, blue eyes…

"Zuko?"

"I love you."

He hadn't thought carefully, at all; the words just came, strange like the loud twitter of a tiny bird. Katara stared at him, her hand still lingering on the bed beside her where she had been patting, encouraging him to join her. Zuko was oddly unafraid of her silence and met her eyes, one corner of his mouth twitching up as he realized a peculiar thing; it wasn't really the color that drew him. Blue was lovely, but it was just a color. No, it was the way she looked at him, the way she had looked at him tonight and every night.

The way she looked at him, now.

"I love you, too."

He wasn't exactly aware of lowering himself to the bed and the slide of the sheets against his bare legs was distant, unimportant. The important things were Katara's embracing arms and the way she dragged him closer, her body soft against his as she stretched out half-atop him. She stroked both sides of his face, smiling, and lowered her lips to kiss him as if she was tasting something sumptuous and rare.

As she drew away, Zuko peered up into the glimmer of her eyes and a tendril of anxiety returned to his gut. "Katara… I'm sorry, but I don't think I can… keep going, tonight. I-"

She smirked down at him, still caressing his face. "Zuko, go to sleep. You can make it up to me, later, if it bothers you so much, but you look ready to keel over right now."

"Dawn, waterbender." It was the last thought he was aware of before the crush of his weariness swept him away.

* * *

Katara watched his face soften into sleep before resettling against him with her head on his shoulder. She slipped a hand between his firm, hot belly and the smooth sheet and breathed in his smell like sweat and rain and hope. The scent and warmth of him was almost enough to drive off the fierce headache that was brewing behind her brow, but the dull throb persisted and she lay awake for a while, eyes shut against the dim light of the room.

Katara was a worrier; it was true. Even before she had learned that Iroh didn't intend to hurt her, she had begun worrying about how Zuko would react to his uncle's scheming. Once it was all over, she had worried about his wellbeing and his secrecy. He seemed exhausted and sad. That was all – and it worried her because exhausted and sad were not really states of being that she had seen Zuko enter. He always seemed relentless and anger suited him so much better than sorrow.

The look that had come over his face when she asked him about Iroh was enough to tell her that Zuko wasn't ready to talk about his uncle, not directly. That was alright, though; Katara could wait. She wasn't so sure he had made the connection with Lo Wei, yet, and didn't want to force him to face it before he was ready by passing on his uncle's apology too soon. Perhaps that was hypocritical, considering she'd demanded to know all of his secrets... but surely there was no harm in putting this off until tomorrow.

For now, better to embrace him, show him how much he meant to her. Better to follow his example – abandon pretense and just be honest. It felt so good to be honest, like taking the cork from a canteen left in the sun and releasing the warm huff of air trapped inside.

That wasn't all that had felt good. Katara spread her fingers against Zuko's belly and turned her head to brush his chest with her lips. He did not stir. The corner of her mouth turned up.

She called to mind that musky smell, the taste of his flesh, and the wild-eyed expression he had had in the instants before coming and shifted her hips to feel the pleasant slide of her own organs. The excitement was a distant throb, though, far less urgent than her own weariness.

The slow rhythm of Zuko's chest rising and falling against her cheek rocked Katara gently into her own sleep.

She woke up before she wanted to, but couldn't complain. Sunlight was lancing across the room through the potted plants, casting distinct leafy shadows along the headboard, and the room was quiet and cool from the night.

Beneath the sheet, though, an inferno was building. His mouth was hot and wet and consuming her breast with slick sweeps of his tongue.

Katara, eyes bulging, lifted the edge of the covers to find Zuko peering up at her, his eyes simmering. She made a little sound that, under other circumstances, might have embarrassed her. His mouth twitched up at a corner and he withdrew from her flesh. "Good morning?" The question was familiar and Katara remembered the first time she had awakened in this bed with this man.

_Is this_…_ okay?_

The waterbender smiled and stroked his cheek with the hand that wasn't holding up the sheet. "It's very early to be throwing the word 'good' around… but yes. Yes, I think it is."

"Then maybe you should quit letting the cold air in." His smirking mouth descended on her other breast and Katara, after a little gasp and a grin, tugged the sheet over her head as well.

His hands were hot against her ribs, her belly. Zuko, still watching her with his golden eyes in the dim enclosure, slipped a foot between her ankles, gently pressing his calf into the space between hers. Katara licked her lips and parted her knees to permit his leg. He groaned against her breast as she spread her legs wider and her thigh brushed the underside of his rigid organ.

"Mm… That feels promising…" She smirked at him and bit her lip to stifle a chuckle at his astonished blink.

The astonishment was short-lived. Zuko narrowed his eyes fractionally and lightly bit her nipple before pulling away. "I'll make you a promise, waterbender," he purred. As he spoke, he slowly shifted his weight, dragging his erection across her thigh as he moved between her legs. Katara's mouth hung open as he settled against her, as he pressed his length against the crotch of her bindings. "You have my word." His face hovered just a hand-span from hers, his eyes flicking to her open mouth and his breath coming a little uneven. "Tomorrow night."

Then, he ground against her in a slow, firm thrust, his eyes squinting in his own pleasure as she gasped and her hands gripped his back. After the moment it took her to regain her senses, Katara blinked up at him and tipped her head to one side. "I'm sorry. I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about. Perhaps you could rephrase that?"

"Gladly." Zuko smirked and thrust again, rolling his pelvis in a way that drove a cry from the waterbender's lips. "Catch it that time?"

"Ah… still a little unclear on your exact meaning…" Katara slid her hands down the small of his back and over the smooth expanse of his buttocks. "Are you suggesting something like this?"

Zuko's eyes widened as she braced her feet on the bed and pressed back against him, winding her own hips slowly beneath his. He let out a low sound through gritted teeth and ground back against her. "Ah – I think we're beginning to understand each other." With that, he placed a soft kiss on her mouth and, smirking, began a slow journey down her body.

It was Katara's second opportunity to marvel at how quickly the firebender had picked up on the intricacies of her undergarments, though she suspected his expertise only went as far as removal. Still, he seemed to have developed a true flair for it.

He tugged the flat knot on her inner thigh apart with his teeth.

The strips were slow to unwind, since Katara was lying down, but Zuko didn't seem to mind that; he left them much as they were, lapping at the stripes of her flesh that peeked between. The waterbender fisted one hand in the sheet at her side and slid her other hand over his knuckles where he grasped her thigh. He tugged the length of fabric from between her legs and, no sooner had he removed it than he was nuzzling her there, spreading her lips gently with one hand.

Katara watched him look at that part of her that was so difficult for her to see, herself, and saw his eyes grow intense and hungry. He hadn't looked at her quite that way, last time. His breath tickled across her downy hair and she found her thighs quivering slightly. "Zuko."

He looked up at her, expression unchanging, and settled his mouth against her. As his tongue swirled dazzlingly across her sensitive nub, Katara forgot the odd moment. She laced her fingers with his against her thigh and twisted her hand in the sheets and breathed heavily, desperately.

"Oh, I need your fingers, Zuko. Please…"

His urgency seemed to match hers as he slid a digit through her folds and into her aching inner flesh. Her muscles grasped at it but Zuko's finger easily slipped in and out, swirling thrillingly against the resistance. Then, he added a second finger. It stretched her passage just enough, challenged her just right. Words came from her mouth, babbling and desperate as she climbed.

"Oh yes! That's- Oh yes! Zuko, that's so- Zuko!"

Katara's head dropped back against the bed and the sheet slipped down over her face, but she hardly noticed; her peak came quickly and her surging thighs lifted her from the bed.

It was only as she came down that she noticed the slow, rhythmic tug of Zuko's hand gripping hers. Breathless, she lifted the sheet and peered down to find him again staring at her organs with that peculiar intensity, his fingers still sunk inside her. At the sight, her inner muscles gave a resonant flutter. His brow furrowed and, though she could not see his mouth over the rise of her mound, she suspected it was hanging open because his panting breaths billowed across her sensitive flesh.

It was very clear, though, that he was slowly grinding his hips against the bed.

Katara's mouth sketched a loose smirk. "Do all Fire Nation men exploit post-orgasmic lethargy to… stare lustfully at their women?"

Those yellow eyes flicked up to her face and Zuko stilled, blinking as if roused from some fantasy. He cleared his throat and, for an instant, looked embarrassed. Then, he smirked back at her. "Actually, I was just wondering…" He slowly withdrew his fingers and, as Katara's eyes widened, slipped them into his mouth. They came out slowly, tugging at his lips. "Do all Southern Water Tribe women have this sort of… grip?"

"What?" Her mind flew immediately to her hand, still clutching his against her thigh. Was he suggesting that she had unpleasant man-hands or something?

His smirk faded a little and his cheek seemed to be turning faintly pink, though it was difficult to tell in the dim light beneath the sheet. "I mean, with your… lady parts."

Katara stared at him for a second and decided that, in light of Fire Nation opinions on less-experienced men, it would be in extremely poor taste to laugh at this question. "I – ahem – would imagine that all women do, regardless of their race… The – er – lady parts are made to birth babies, you know, so they kind of need to be strong."

He rolled his eyes. "I know where babies come from. I just mean that your-"

There was an insistent rap at the door.

It took Katara a second to realize that the knock hadn't come from the main entrance, but from the concealed door on the opposite wall. She looked back at Zuko, only to find him looking just as bewildered as she felt. Then, a familiar voice came to them where they laid very still beneath the sheets. The voice was edged with annoyance and perhaps a hint of terror.

"We know you're awake in there, Jerkbender, and we were nice enough to give you the ten-minute leniency period, already, so unhand whatever your hands are on and _open the door_!"

Katara's eyes widened and she had an instant's glimpse of Zuko scowling before he vanished in a flurry of sheet. Snarling something that sounded a lot like it contained the words 'Sokka and Suki' and a variety of expletives, he rose from the bed, snatched up a pillow to cover himself, and stormed across the room.

Perhaps it was the speed with which he stormed or perhaps the view of his muscular backside – or perhaps the reassuring return of Zuko's temper – but Katara only managed to utter a warning the second he yanked the door open.

"No, Zuko! It's not Suki!"

It was, of course, too late.

* * *

Zuko stood in the open doorway, clutching a pillow to his groin and staring past a smirking Sokka. Hakoda stared back at him. It was difficult to read the tribesman's expression – tense was the word that came to mind – but the firebender wasn't exactly in a good place, mentally, for reading people.

He was standing naked in front of Hakoda, smelling a lot like lady parts, while Katara sat, also naked, in the bed half-way across the room behind him. Surely, this was some hideous nightmare.

Sokka, of course, broke the silence. "You know, there are guards posted at the front door to this room." He shook his head, grinning and rolling his eyes up in amusement. "Pff! What's with that?"

Zuko scowled at the other young man. "Some people like to sleep in peace."

"It really didn't sound like there was any sleeping going on ten minutes ago-" The warrior held up his hands, brows raised and eyes shut in placation as the firebender fisted one hand in his groin-pillow and the other at his side. "-but I'm willing to let that go because I'm currently in the process of blocking my sister's voice saying your name from my mind, forever."

Katara's voice came from behind him. "Sokka, if you overheard anything, you had it coming after the number of times I had to listen to you and Suki going at it before the comet."

"Twice! That only happened twice."

"Puh. Two times more than I needed to hear."

Zuko blinked and relaxed a bit. He had Katara's support. He could handle this. "Four times for me."

And then something strange happened. Hakoda's dry gaze switched to Sokka. "A future chieftain should be more considerate."

Sokka shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, okay. Not my best moments. Still!" He turned back to Zuko with a forced laugh. "We're not here to go dredging up the past…"

The Fire Lord shuffled from one foot to the other and cast a careful eye up and down the corridor. "Care to tell me why you are here, then? This door won't be a secret anymore, if someone happens to wander by."

Hakoda cleared his throat and Zuko returned his focus to the older man. "You're marrying my daughter," he said, his keen gaze displaying the unique combination of appraisal and threat that Zuko was growing so accustomed to. "We're going fishing."

* * *

AN: Any feedback at all will be read and appreciated - as always, foreverandever. You all rock!


	48. Chapter 48

AN: Thank you to all of you fabulous reviewers! I'm sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out, but there was a sudden deluge of Projects that needed attention and then decided it didn't like me. :(

Hopefully, it will be amusing enough to make up for the wait!

* * *

"It's tradition," she'd said, smiling. "Try to have fun."

Fun.

The wind was fresh from the night's rain and, though high in the cloudless sky, the sun was still rising. It beamed down on the Southern Water Tribe ship and felt, to Zuko, like a hot eyeball glaring. The Fire Lord's robes – Lin wouldn't let him out of his quarters without them – felt too hot, too heavy for the warm weather and the mantle and ornament seemed to weigh more than usual. He stood at the stern, gripping the upraised side of the ship with both hands and watching the island grow smaller. Turning slowly to look over his shoulder, he stole a glance at Hakoda and Sokka, who were pointing at a map and discussing the best place to find hen-carp.

Which was obviously a code phrase for 'the best place to hide the body.'

Zuko wasn't sure why they were going to the trouble of taking him out of the palace to do the job, since there had been so many witnesses who knew he was going with them. Hau had had a small nervous breakdown when the Fire Lord refused an armed escort, though Zuko's use of the royal palanquin to get to the docks had calmed him somewhat. Certainly, he had felt like a complete idiot riding in a palanquin while his future inlaws walked alongside it – because Hakoda had outright refused a ride – but at least his emissary wasn't foaming at the mouth back at the palace.

Presently and for no reason he could discern, Hakoda peered back at him with a furrowed brow over unreadable eyes. Zuko swallowed and turned back around to say a final silent goodbye to his Nation.

Sokka's voice came to him, seemingly idle. "You know, I think you could probably be a little less helpful if you were really trying."

Zuko turned around, blinking. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The warrior waved the map, frowning and rolling his eyes toward the rigging. "You live here. Give us a hint; where are all the best fish hang-outs?"

For a second, he only stared at Sokka, wondering whether this meant that he was supposed to select his own burial site. Then, with a sigh and a rub of his face, Zuko shook his head. "I don't know anything about fishing. I've actually never even caught a fish before… except for that time-" He cut himself off and shook his head again, deciding that they would not be impressed by the tale of his first and only spear-fishing experience.

Sokka and Hakoda were watching him with very similar expressions of skeptical disappointment on their faces. If this was a test, Zuko realized he was probably failing. He held his hands out to his sides, frustrated. "What? I just don't fish, alright? What do you want me to do?"

Sokka crossed his arms over his narrow chest. "You spent more than two years at sea and you never fished."

Zuko narrowed his eyes. "I wasn't exactly sent out to trawl the depths, Sokka."

"Yeah, but you could have at least plucked a few off the surface while you were practicing that scowl – which, by the way-" Sokka raised a finger, smiling. "-is a feat of facial engineering."

Aware that the aforementioned scowl was spreading across his face at that very moment, Zuko drew a calming breath and peered off to one side. "My uncle kept the ship well-stocked. There was no need for anyone to fish, so I didn't fish."

There was a long, silent moment and, when Zuko looked back up, he discovered that both Sokka and Hakoda were again conferring over the map. He could only see their backs from where he stood, but the older man's shoulders seemed even tenser than before.

Zuko planted a hand over his eyes. He shouldn't have revealed his lack of expertise. He should have lied, pointed to a spot on the map, and made up some excuse as to why the fish weren't biting. Now, Hakoda thought he was useless, helpless – just a spoiled Prince. As if the man hadn't had enough reasons already to detest him…

"You alright there, buddy?"

Zuko looked up to find that Sokka had come to adjust the rudder and was peering at him with seemingly genuine concern. The firebender straightened his posture and cleared his throat. "Where are we going?"

Seemingly unaffected by the brush-off, Sokka smiled as he adjusted the course. "Dad wants to check out Sizzling Sand Cove – he thinks the depth there could be right for Red Slippers."

"Red slippers?"

"It's this kind of…" The tribesman waved a hand, half-shrugging. "…fish. If we catch some, you'll see."

Zuko nodded and turned to look toward the prow. Hakoda was tying off a line beyond the mast and the firebender followed it with his eyes into the system of ropes and canvas above. He was sure sailing couldn't be as complicated as it _looked_, but didn't want to ask for an explanation. Bad enough that he knew nothing about fish – knowing nothing about wind-powered ships might be all Hakoda could take.

Still, there were things that Zuko did know. "You'll want to keep your distance from that little island up ahead."

"What little island?"

The firebender pointed at the tiny dark spot drawing closer. It wasn't much of an island – little more than a large rock jutting out of the water with a few persistent plants clinging to the top – and it certainly wasn't easy to see unless one knew to look for it. "It's the only island up ahead. It has a really wide reef, just close enough to the surface to puncture the hull on a big ship. Just steer clear of it."

"How clear are we talking about, here?"

"There should be buoys anchored around the outer edges of the reef – I ordered them placed last winter, after the eighth fisherman scuttled himself that season."

Sokka squinted. "I don't see any buoys."

"What?" Zuko squinted as well, trying to catch sight of the white steel markers that should have been bobbing in the swells around the island, but he saw nothing but the flash of the waves. "Maybe the storm broke the anchor lines. I'll have to get those replaced. Just bear to one side and stay clear."

"Which side?"

"It doesn't matter with side – just do it, now. We don't want to get too close to that island."

"How close is too-?"

The ship jolted, sending all three men to sprawl on the deck. As he climbed to his feet, Zuko snarled, "_That_ was too close, Sokka."

The warrior pulled himself up with a grip on the steering shaft. "Oh, so I guess it's all my fault, then. Never-mind all the vague warnings – if something goes wrong, lets all just blame Sokka!"

"What part of 'steer clear of that island' is vague?"

Despite the firebender's combative posture and raised voice, Sokka only crossed his arms and lifted his chin. "It would have been more helpful if you had told me that the reefs stretched over a quarter of a mile from the island. That's all I'm say-"

He cut off at the sound of his father clearing his throat and the cool look on his face dissipated as he hung his head. Zuko turned to find Hakoda frowning at both of them and felt his own temper drain.

Wrecking the ship was so much worse than knowing nothing about fish.

"First, you're both going to help me lower the sail," Hakoda said. His voice was a rigid combination of gentle calm and anger. "Then, one of you is going to jump over the side to see what we hit. The other is going to come with me to check the damage from the inside. Are we clear?"

"Yes, sir." Zuko and Sokka shared a sideways glance, but did not remark on speaking at the same time. Rather, they set to their assigned task in silence.

Zuko had to fight his way out of the mantle to free up his arms enough to help with the sail. He set the heavy thing aside, along with the golden ornament from his hair, though he left the topknot in place to keep hair out of his face. The sun and the work only made his robes seem hotter and, once the sail was finally tied down, sweat was rolling down his spine.

Without looking at either of the younger men, Hakoda began climbing down a hatch into the belly of the ship. "Whichever one of you is coming with me had better hurry up."

Zuko looked at Sokka. Sokka looked back. An instant later, both were struggling with their clothes, trying to be the first undressed enough to jump overboard. Despite tearing apart the delicate ties of the Fire Lord's robes in his urgency, Zuko still had the garment half over his head and still wore the light shirt and pants of his under-layers when he heard the splash of Sokka hitting the water. He wadded the silk and flung it at his other possessions before glaring over the side of the ship.

Sokka, floating in his underwear, grinned up at him. "Nothing personal, Zuko. Hey, this could be a great opportunity for you to-"

"Just shut up." Zuko stalked across the deck to the hatch and climbed down with a huff. He made his way down to the hold and found Hakoda at the stem, holding up a lit oil lantern and shaking his head. Water soaked up through the soles of Zuko's soft shoes as he approached, but it was not deep. When he joined the older man and spotted the damage, though, his eyes bulged. "Oh _no_."

The hole was not too large and was only leaking a bit, blocked as it was by the thing that had pierced between the boards of the hull. The object they had run into looked at first like a big tooth – except it was made of twisted steel, painted white.

Hakoda turned a frown on Zuko, but said nothing.

The firebender drew a breath and cleared his throat. "It's one of the buoys. The storm must have smashed it on the reef."

"If we pull the ship away, we'll take on water too quickly to make it back to the capital."

Zuko swallowed and dipped his chin, then spoke with a slow shake of his head. "There will be search parties by sunset and this is a common site for shipwrecks. I'm sure we'll be found. Chief Hakoda, I'm very sorry for the damage to your ship – I'll gladly pay for the-"

He stopped when the older man's hand fell on his shoulder. Hakoda's expression was dry. "It seems we'll be fishing the reef, today."

With that, he strode back toward the ladder that would take him above, leaving Zuko blinking in the dark.

When he emerged on deck, the firebender found Sokka standing in his underwear before his father, dripping and rubbing the back of his neck. "It's, uh – ha ha! This whole thing is actually kind of funny if you think about it. I mean, it was supposed to keep us from hitting the rocks and, uh, it did that…"

Hakoda, arms crossed, did not look amused. Sokka opened his mouth, apparently to offer up some kind of excuse.

"This was my fault." Zuko found himself stepping forward, drawing both of the tribesmen's attention. "I knew the reef was here, so it was my responsibility to make sure that we did not hit it. As I tried to say, I will pay for the damages to your vessel."

They watched him for a long moment. Hakoda's expression was unreadable, but Sokka's smile kept getting wider. "See, Dad? He admits it. All his fault."

"Actually, I'd say the blame was equally divided." Hakoda shot his son a sideways glance. "You should have taken the warning more seriously, Zuko should have been more specific about how far out the reef stretched, and I should have intervened and prevented a misunderstanding from becoming an ordeal." His gaze turned to the firebender. "I'll take you up on your offer to cover the expenses of repair and-" He rested a hand on his son's shoulder. "-Sokka can help me mend the hull."

Zuko watched the younger man's sheepish grin, watched Hakoda's mouth twitch up as he released a resigned sigh, and some tightness inside him relaxed.

"Now," Hakoda said as he opened a storage box and withdrew three cane fishing poles. "I don't want to hear anything else about it. We came here to fish and, by the Spirits, we're going to catch at least one, today."

* * *

There were fish on the reefs. Zuko knew there were fish, because he could see them darting around beneath the waves – bright ones, dark ones, all different sizes – but they didn't touch the cricket-worms hooked to each man's line. He leaned against the rail with Sokka and Hakoda and narrowed his eyes at each shape that glided by below them until the sun lowered to such an angle that the glare off the water was almost blinding.

Silence was a part of fishing. Zuko knew that much. Despite being underwater and having no ears, fish were somehow sensitive to sound. The firebender was determined to not be the reason that this fishing trip failed and, every time Sokka sighed or yawned, he shot the tribesman a frown.

Finally, as the sun neared the horizon, Hakoda cleared his throat. "I think I owe you an apology, Zuko."

It took him a long moment to recover from the multiple levels of shock and there was still a note of incredulity in his voice when he asked, "For what?"

The older man stared at the water. "To start, I should probably apologize on behalf of my brothers in the tribe for our laughter at your expense. While the Southern Water Tribe is not as formal as the Fire Nation and joking is a part of our community, there was an undercurrent of cruelty to our amusement yesterday that is not usually there. For that, I am sorry."

Zuko kept his eyes firmly glued to his line as it slackened and tightened with the passing of the waves. "Considering what you suspected was going on, your hostility wasn't entirely unwarranted."

"That's another thing…" Hakoda was frowning now, shaking his head slowly. "I knew better than to suspect you of… pretty much all of the things I have suspected lately. I have never known you to be less than honorable and it was not reasonable for me to assume that you would do something that would hurt Katara. Men are not always reasonable when it comes to their daughters."

"Or firebenders," Sokka put in, blandly.

"Sokka's right," the chieftain said. Yellow eyes locked with blue and Zuko could see Hakoda squinting at him as if trying to see him through a fog. "It is true that I have treated you unfairly because of your race and station. One hundred years adds up to a lot of blood spilled between our peoples and it would be disrespectful to the dead to forget that. Still, I am not proud of punishing you for the mistakes of your people."

Zuko swallowed and looked back at the water, unsure of what to say. The silence stretched out, punctuated by the sounds of waves lapping at the ship's sides.

"I should also apologize for my actions at the ball, last night."

When the firebender looked over at the older man, he was surprised to find him frowning out toward the horizon. His brown cheeks were a little red. Zuko blinked. "What exactly _did_ happen?"

Hakoda squinted and worked his jaw slowly, still not looking at him. After a beat of silence, Sokka waved a hand, shrugging and forcing a laugh.

"Circumstances beyond our control, really. No one could have seen it coming!" He quieted and stared down at the water, brow furrowing. "Well, Suki may have…"

Zuko's eyes narrowed as frustration began to creep up inside him. "No one could have seen _what_ coming?"

Hakoda cast him a sideways glance, then looked at his son. "You start. I only know what Suki told me."

Sokka cleared his throat, drew in his fishing line, and laid the pole aside so that he could fold his fingers together on the rail as he thought.

"It all started after the toasts. I had just convinced, uh… what's his name? Little nervous guy, always worried about being late or-"

"Emissary Hau?" Zuko asked. He was no longer watching the water, staring instead at the tribesman. Sokka snapped his fingers and smiled.

"That's the one. Anyway, I had just convinced him that the mask was stuck on my head and that I couldn't be heard well enough to make toasts, so the ceremony was kind of short. Still-" He shrugged, raising his brows and gesturing loosely with one hand. "-I guess it was too boring for Katara, because she wasn't there at the end. Which, really, was why this whole thing happened, so if you want to blame someone, Katara is the way to go."

"Sokka." Hakoda narrowed his eyes at his son.

"I'm just saying that, if Katara had been there to protect her turf like any romantically-inclined woman would, the Northern Water Tribe noblewomen wouldn't have jumped me the way they did."

"_What_?"

In his shock, Zuko dropped his cane pole over the rail. Sokka and Hakoda stared down at it where it bobbed beside the ship, expressions perhaps a little mournful, but the firebender hardly noticed.

"What Northern Water Tribe noblewomen? What do you mean they _jumped_ you?"

"That was our best fishing rod."

"Sokka!"

He glanced at Zuko's furious expression, but only raised an eyebrow and gestured toward the fallen pole. "No, really. My grandfather made it – it's a third-generation heirloom. It's a piece of our culture."

For a second, the firebender could only glare. His good eye twitched. Then, with a snarl, he yanked off his shirt, shuffled out of his pants, kicked off his curl-toed shoes, and prepared to leap overboard.

Sokka raised a finger. "Zuko, that might not be a good-"

It was, of course, too late.

* * *

Zuko sat on the deck with his back against the rail and his arm raised over his head, scowling and wincing by turns. Hakoda was working very carefully to extract the fishhook from his left armpit and had an aura of resigned confidence that suggested that he had removed many fishhooks from people over the years, but it was still an agonizing process.

Sokka strolled back and forth along the deck, talking and gesturing.

"I don't know what Chief Arnook told them, but they were determined. I tried to politely decline with that head-shaky, hand-wavy move, but it didn't stop them from begging and pleading and forming a line. So I had to dance with them. I _had_ to." He shrugged, wide-eyed. "And I couldn't stop Suki from getting jealous. I mean, it might have helped if she had gone on thinking I was you, but then she would have spent the whole night looking for me and then she would have been _really_ mad…"

"Augh!"

"There it is." Hakoda sat back and held up the bloodied hook. "Amazing how such a little thing can hurt that much, eh?"

"Yeah." Zuko lightly fingered the puncture, dabbing at the blood that had trailed down his wet side. The older man shooed his hand away and, from a small box he had had Sokka fetch from below, pulled out a clean cloth and a little jar of some kind of paste. As he cleaned the wound and smeared it with a liberal blob of the greasy stuff, he spoke.

"Suki did have a heavy hand in it. She came to me and pointed out that my future son-in-law was passing from woman to woman in a manner she considered completely shameless." His blue eyes met Zuko's and he gave a wry smile. "I agreed whole-heartedly and set about correcting his error."

"What Dad means," Sokka said, crossing his arms and half-smiling in recollection, "is that he stormed across the dance floor, grabbed me by the shoulder, and said, 'Maybe my Northern cousins do things differently, but this behavior is unacceptable for a man who wishes to marry a woman of the Southern Water Tribe. Fire Lord Zuko, if you intend to marry Katara, you _will_ show the proper respect for her as well as our customs.'"

Sokka's impression of his father was accompanied by a pointing finger and a deep frown and Zuko could picture Hakoda doing the same things. He could also imagine his own reaction when faced with a public challenge of his respectfulness. His own father's voice rattled through his head.

_You will learn respect…_

Zuko sighed and rubbed his face with the hand that was not tucked behind his head. Hakoda, settling a bandage in place, was silent. The firebender peered back up at Sokka, who had crossed his arms again and looked proud of himself for some unfathomable reason. "So what did you do?"

The young tribesman shrugged and grinned loosely. "I hugged him."

Zuko squinted as he tried to understand.

"See, I was so sick of dancing by then that any interruption would have been a huge relief and then here comes Dad with an excuse to stop dancing for the rest of the night and-"

"The important thing," Hakoda interrupted as he finished with the bandage and drew away, "is that it was a son's hug to his father. To the Southern Water Tribe, it was as good as a wedding announcement."

Sokka was still grinning and waved a hand in slow circles as he explained. "So our tribe cheered and other nations started to figure it out and then there were some more toasts… You get the picture."

Zuko only sat still for a long while, looking between the two men as he processed what they had told him. There would be some social uproar about this among the Fire Nation nobility, but he didn't really care about that, now. His eyes settled on Hakoda.

"Sokka said he was starting to get you to like me. You finally accepted me… because Sokka hugged you while pretending to be me?"

"Well." The older man cleared his throat and looked down as he tucked the jar and remaining bandages back into the small box. "It was more the public display of respect for Southern Water Tribe family values than the hug itself." He shut the box and met Zuko's eyes. "And I liked you before any of this began, Zuko. That day you welcomed my tribe into the Capital and clasped my hand as we do in the Southern Water Tribe, I knew you respected my people and I liked you. Well before that, even, I liked you."

Hakoda raised a finger, then, and pointed at a spot on the center of Zuko's belly. When the firebender looked down, he saw the star-shaped scar, Azula's lightning blast.

"You give me very good reasons to like you, Zuko." When he looked up, the Fire Lord saw the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe's half-smile. "But just because I like a man doesn't mean he's good enough to marry Katara."

Zuko blinked, the sting of the remark bringing him back to the present. His arm was still lifted up over his head. He lowered it to his side, moving slowly despite the strange numbness he was experiencing. Setting his jaw, he met Hakoda's eye. "Tell me what to do."

For an instant, the older man's brows rose. Then, he tilted his chin up and regarded Zuko as he thought.

"You know, even though Kaia has been gone for so long, I am still trying to prove myself to Kana. It's good for a man to know that he is expected to be the best man he can be." He settled a hand on Zuko's shoulder. "I will be proud to call you my son-in-law, Zuko. I expect you to continue earning that pride for the rest of your life."

"I will." He barely managed the words through his shock, blinking as the breeze stung his eyes. Hakoda smiled, withdrew his hand from the younger man's shoulder, and politely looked away. He picked up the small box and strode to the hatch to stow it below.

"I wouldn't normally do this," Sokka said from where he leaned with his back against the mast, "but I've got a suggestion."

Zuko stared at him for a moment, uncertain if it was wise to ask.

Sokka went on anyway, pressing a hand to his bare chest. "It's my personal opinion that you should put some clothes on because my psychological scars from seeing you answer the door this morning are way too fresh for this assault on my eyeballs."

"Ah." Zuko cleared his throat and rose to his feet. His face was hot as he scrambled into his pants. Hakoda was climbing back on the deck. "I… should probably apologize… for what you overheard. It wasn't, er…"

"Yeah, you should apologize! I may never-"

"That's not necessary," Hakoda cut in. He glanced at Zuko and, behind the dry expression, the firebender could spot a degree of amusement. "I'm sure things are done differently in the Fire Nation, but the Southern Water Tribe does not have the luxury of pretending that things that are obviously happening are not. That's why the ten-minute leniency period was invented; I can't count the number of times I've tried to visit Bato and his wife, only to turn around and come back later."

"Dad… ew."

Ignoring Sokka, who had pressed a hand over his eyes, Hakoda crossed his arms and leveled a frank gaze on Zuko. "And now that we understand each other, we will never speak of it again." His eyes narrowed a degree. "Not ever."

The firebender, who had frozen with his hands on the ties of his pants, cleared his throat. "Agreed."

* * *

"You know, Sweetness, I'm not much for dresses, but that one's really pretty."

"Actually, these are just the under-layers…" Katara smiled at the stout earthbender who had appeared in the door to Seamstress Yun's lair, relieved at the sight of a friend's face despite the repetition of the tired joke. "Toph! You're just in time to help me out of this-"

Two slightly grubby hands popped up and a smug mouth turned up at the corners. "Oh-ho no. I've met Seamstress Yun. I'm not playing that game again."

The waterbender's smile faded, only to be replaced by a resigned frown. "Fine. Don't help a friend in need. Way to be a hero, Toph." She arched a brow and crossed her arms – this dress, thankfully, was not half as constricting as the last. Unfortunately, the outer layer needed a great deal more alteration, since Yun was unwilling to stitch too close on any seam for fear of damaging silk that might need to be visible. Currently, the large woman was in her sewing room, taking in the latest dart.

Toph leaned against the doorframe and picked her teeth with a fingernail. "Shouldn't this have been done yesterday during the Great Male-Bonding Trip? That's when she stuck me in _my_ dress."

"It was." Katara sighed and reached up to rub a palm down her face, only to hold herself back. Lin had cautioned her that touching the makeup would ruin it and the waterbender had been fighting the urge since the midday meal. "Seamstress Yun took in all the under-layers yesterday and it really did take _all_ day."

"Mm. Sounds like a blast. No wonder you went on a rampage at dinner."

Katara frowned and narrowed her eyes at Toph. "They'd been out all day. I was worried. And it _wasn't_ a rampage."

"Could've fooled me. I've known enraged saber-toothed moose-lions that were quieter than you were when you stormed off to find Emissary Jitter-shrew."

Though Katara wasn't about to admit it, it was true; she'd been furious when she showed up for dinner and Zuko, Sokka, and her father were nowhere to be seen. It took almost an hour to pin down Hau and demand where her family was. All he could offer her then were assurances that the search parties had been sent before dark and were sure to come upon Hakoda's vessel at any time.

That was when the rampage had actually begun, only to end abruptly half-an-hour later when the Fire Lord arrived, bedraggled but apparently unharmed. Hakoda and Sokka, of course, hadn't looked any different. It was only in bed that night that Katara noticed the bandaged spot in his armpit. When asked, Zuko explained the important lesson he had learned that day about not swimming too close to fishing lines. Recognizing the tidy bandage as her father's work, Katara had returned his smile and hadn't remarked on his polite refusal of her offer to heal the injury.

Presently, the waterbender craned her neck and tried to peek through the door to Yun's sewing room but couldn't see anything beyond stacked bolts of fabric. "Is there a reason you're here or did you just come to prod at me when there's no water around?"

A smile spread over Toph's face and she pushed away from the doorframe, crossing her arms and standing tall. "Today's the day."

At this, Katara blinked and her resentment faded. "Yeah," she said, a tiny smile tugging at one corner of her mouth. "Today's the day."

At her slightly wistful tone, Toph snorted and waved a hand. "Oh please. This isn't about some boring wedding – I've come to collect my favor, Sweetness. Time to pay up."

* * *

AN: So fun!

Amongst the projects that caused the extreme delay in this chapter being posted was a singular project that might potentially interest some of you fabulous readers. I only mention it because some reviewers have expressed an interest in reading more of my writing, including original fiction; this made me so giddily happy that I dove into a revision-frenzy. Thus, if you like my OCs and twisty-plot games and the little details that make it come alive, you might be interested in my new Fictionpress account.

http:/www(dot)fictionpress(dot)com/~shamelessliar

Thanks, everybody! You're all amazing!


	49. Chapter 49

**Author's Note: **You all thought I was dead, didn't you? It's okay. I thought so, too, a few times.

First off, I want to apologize for keeping you all waiting for almost a year for this update. Real Life Happened and it was intense.

Secondly, **thank you!** to everyone for your reviews, comments, PMs, and general patience/impatience. I had hoped to give you the last chapter all as one update but my own impatience (and OCD attraction to round numbers like 50) made me weasel into this decision. So, here is chapter 49 and there is a week left before school starts. Chapter 50 should be up within the week.

* * *

In a small anteroom off the main temple, Katara knelt before a Fire Sage with her eyes closed and her mind whirring. She could feel waves of scented smoke curling around her, carrying away spiritual impurities, calling out to the ancestors for blessings. The Fire Nation ancestors, really. The Water Tribe sank their dead in the sea.

Katara wasn't thinking about that, though. She was untroubled by the predominantly Fire Nation traditions being observed. Besides, she and Zuko had already undergone a Water Tribe ritual cleansing. The thoughts that kept her teeth tight were a bit more personal.

It was completely unjust that she should spend the hours before her wedding with that grubby little rock-head's voice rattling in her memory.

"_Suck it up and do it, Sweetness. I agreed not to cause a scene the other night. Now, it's your turn to do the Good Work for me. Otherwise, I'll be forced to make up for it and you'll end up embarrassed anyway. At least this way you'll see it coming."_

By 'the Good Work,' Toph meant unsettling the nobles. Improper behavior, bad table manners, 'keeping it interesting' – it was all Toph's way of dealing with what she had diagnosed as a surplus of formality in the Fire Nation court. Katara felt the whole thing was childish and embarrassing. Her compliance with Toph's demand could very possibly undermine international respect for the Southern Water Tribe. She had pointed this out, but Toph was about as open to reason as an avalanche.

Through one door, Katara could hear the muffled sounds of a crowd arriving and settling in the temple. Occasionally, she thought she could hear her brother's too-loud laughter. Katara stifled a sigh and tried to listen instead to the Fire Sage's steady chant. With a warm fingertip, he dabbed fragrant oil across her painted brow. She remained perfectly still, eyes shut as she accepted the blessing.

Then, the chanting stopped. At a shuffle of silk beside her, Katara peeked up to find Zuko settling to kneel beside her. A warm surf lapped in her chest and her fear hissed, at once soothed and heightened by his presence. He caught her subtle stare and flashed the faintest smile. Katara tried to mimic it, but apparently failed. The Sage began a new round of chanting.

Katara had not had the chance to discuss Toph's demand with Zuko. Hopefully, he would not be too ashamed to be married to a woman with poor self-control. Considering Fire Nation value for discipline, Katara was not much reassured. On the other hand, they were also a people of passion. Katara bit the inside of her lip and tried not to think about it too much.

She could feel Zuko stealing glances at her from the corner of his eye. Katara tried to still the tremor of her hands, the way her chin dipped as she swallowed. At last, the Fire Sage ended his chanting and gestured for them to rise and follow him through a short corridor to the worship hall. Katara hurried to follow but Zuko caught her hand.

She blinked up at him, surprised. Interruption of the succession of events was a breach of Protocol according to the brief tutoring Katara had received over the past days. The Fire Sage made some short, mortified sounds, but Zuko ignored him.

"Katara, if you don't want to go through with this, it's not too late to stop. You…" He swallowed and frowned at the floor off to one side. "If you think you will be unhappy with me, I don't-"

Her hand was brown and sweaty and still faintly trembling, but Katara still raised it to cup his cheek. "Zuko, I don't doubt that I'll be happy. I'm just worried that… that you won't be."

Zuko caught the back of her hand with his, tugging it so that he could press a slow, hot kiss to the thin skin of her inner wrist. Her lips parted and released a faint sound that almost sounded like a protest. Zuko smiled sheepishly. "I'm already happy."

Katara grinned, but the expression quickly faltered. "Zuko, Toph wants-"

"Ahem." The Fire Sage had overcome his proprietary shock and waited beside the doorway, hands folded before him in a guise of patience. "Highness, your people await."

Zuko still watched Katara, waiting, but the other Fire Sages around the room were closing in. The waterbender darted a glance around the immaculate folds of red and shut her mouth into a tight smile. It would have to wait.

They entered the cavernous temple in near silence. The only sound from the crowd of nobles kneeling across the marble expanse was the barely-audible rush of breath entering and leaving each body. Katara's head tilted back slightly as she took in the soaring arches that supported a ceiling made entirely of glass panels. The sun, sinking now toward the west, hit the gold-veined white marble of the floor and set everything in the temple alight.

As they made their way down the aisle to the dais, Zuko stared at her from the corner of his eye the entire time. He didn't bother to gaze out across the enormous gathering of his people and hers, nor to face the High Sage of the Fire Nation as they came to stand before the old man. Katara was sure, too, that he did not notice that the red walls were impossible to see for all the flowers. Long braids of Blast Lilies, Ember Orchids, and Fizzling Tulips draped from the impossibly high ceiling to the floor and filled the room with the fresh scent of flora.

They knelt before the Head Sage, facing one another. Their knees were very nearly touching. Zuko's blue marital robes fell from his shoulders in careful creases and, in the warm light of the temple, the silk glistened like the sea. Katara watched him watch her. The fear or something in her chest was roaring. The High Sage was saying something about eternity and the bonding of two spirits, but all Katara could really hear was a rush like the tide coming in, drowning out all other sound.

At the High Sage's behest, they joined hands. Zuko's fingers were hot and dry as sun-baked stones and Katara was sure her own must feel as clammy as those stones' undersides, set in dirt and darkness.

And then, suddenly, Zuko was leaning in to meet Katara in the kiss that would seal their union before the world. The waterbender hesitated for just an instant. Then, she dove.

At first, the kiss was chaste. It was a kiss loaded with history and tradition. Fire Lords had married Fire Ladies with the same kiss for thousands of years and this fresh knowledge hammered at the back of Katara's mind, a quick guilty beat. Still, she went on with the plan. She traced the seam of his lips with her tongue.

Zuko's mouth opened for her instantly. He met her there, a slide of tastes and the slick insides of his lips, the tough edge of his tooth. Katara's tongue touched the sensitive side of his and he made a sound deep in his throat, a tiny sound that only she would hear. Tiny, it was a thunder over the rush of the tide in Katara's chest. His hands were bright as lightning. Zuko pulled her hands to his chest, clutched them over his heart. He stroked the glossy ribs of her braids. Katara forgot all about the room full of shocked nobles watching as she and Zuko kissed one another senseless.

Somewhere nearby, a throat cleared. The sound was a little squeaky with suppressed horror, but the voice obviously belonged to Sokka. Katara startled out of the embrace and, breathing a bit more heavily than was appropriate, stared into Zuko's simmering eyes. They returned to the distance of holding hands.

As the High Sage completed the ceremony and reverently placed the Fire Lady's ornament in Katara's topknot, she tried not to think about the heat gathering in her cheeks. Her eyes flicked again and again to the gathered nobles but only Sokka, sitting between Suki and Hakoda at the front, seemed to be in a state of horror.

Then Zuko rose beside her and held her hands as she took her feet as well. When Katara walked beside him from the room, she held her head high and spared the cheering crowd no glance. Rather, she stole peeks of Zuko from the corner of her eye. He looked straight ahead and she could not read the expression on that scarred side of his face.

When they emerged from the temple, they found Lin awaiting them in the corridor, flanked by a line of her subordinates. The servants wore their usual humble attire, but all had tiny white flowers tucked into their bound-back hair. Even Lin had a blossom stuck above one ear. The Head Servant knelt into a full kowtow as Katara and Zuko approached and all of her underlings followed her example.

"Most Honorable Lord and Lady," she said to the floor, "it would be this humble staff's greatest honor to serve as escort to the ballroom for the royal reception."

* * *

The better part of two hours later, Katara was considering dousing herself with wine again just to have an excuse to leave. She knelt on the dais beside Zuko while his guests – _their_ guests, she reminded herself – danced and ate in their honor. Occasionally, nobles approached to offer congratulations and well wishes to the royal newlyweds. The party had been highly instructional for the first hour or so – Katara had learned more Fire Nation aristocrats' names and faces than she had in the entire week she had spent in the Capital – but the stiff conduct of the event had quickly begun to wear on her.

"…and, Fire Lord Zuko and Fire Lady Katara, it is the sincerest hope of House Toshiro that you both live long and happy lives!" The four old men – brothers whose names Katara could not even begin to keep straight – bowed and backed away from the dais with their faces still lowered. They all wore the same moustache, waxed to keen points at either end.

As they were withdrawing, Zuko peered at her from the corner of his eye. "Are you alright?"

"What? Yes." Realizing that the words had come out just above a snarl, Katara drew a deep breath and prepared to apologize. She was still unsure whether he was mad at her for that public display in the temple, but sensed there was something Zuko was not saying. All Katara truly wanted was to get to their quarters and clear the air. She opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated at the sight of him.

It was so strange to see him in blue. The color was as familiar as that of her own skin, yet it seemed wholly new in the way that it clutched at Zuko's pale throat. His hands, where they emerged from his wide sleeves and rested against his thighs, were as bright and scarred as the moon. Blue set off his yellow eyes, made them shine, blaze brighter than his golden ornament.

He turned his head to cast her a look that was at once puzzled and mildly annoyed. "What?"

Katara bit back her thoughts and, feeling her face redden beneath the paint, stared straight ahead at the masses of finely dressed nobles and dignitaries. "This… This is all just very different from the way my people celebrate a marriage."

Zuko peered out across the crowd as well, then looked back at her. "Your people don't have a party with food and dancing?"

"Well, yes. I mean… It's not so…" She shrugged, face caught in a tiny frown and eyes locked straight ahead on the people calmly dancing and eating dainty finger-foods and drinking Spice Wine from glistening glasses. "My people sit in a big circle in the communal tent and eat all the worst kinds of fried food and drink honey-fish mead. And the way we dance isn't so… rigid."

"Yeah, Sokka was showing me some of the intricacies of Southern Water Tribe dance the other night. It definitely isn't rigid."

Katara smiled and glanced back to find him watching her with an oddly pleased expression on his face. "Sokka's example really shouldn't be taken as an acceptable representation of Southern Water Tribe skill."

"No kidding." Zuko held her gaze and one corner of his mouth tugged faintly upward. There was a tiny smudge of red paint on his bottom lip from their kiss. It made Katara grit her teeth. She wanted to look away, she wanted to lick it off. She wanted to leave evidence of the trail her mouth would forge across his moon-bright skin.

But Zuko looked troubled. He opened his mouth to say something else but was cut off.

"My Lord! My Lady!"

Katara's happy feelings vanished and she whipped her head around to face the noble who had approached the dais, though she already knew who that smooth voice belonged to. His tunic was the height of Fire Nation fashion, subtly embroidered with darker thread in shapes that almost looked like waves and moons.

"Lord Laotsu," Zuko supplied. Katara acknowledged the nobleman with a tiny nod.

Laotsu bowed before his sovereigns, folding his hands into his sleeves in the way that was proper. "On behalf of what remains of the Gaka Family, I must congratulate Fire Lord Zuko and Fire Lady Katara on such a lovely wedding. I have never seen two young people in love come together so spectacularly, so passionately! It has done much to revitalize my seasoned heart!"

Unsure of how to respond to this, Katara glanced at Zuko from the corner of her eye. He sat with the severe posture of a monarch, yet his mouth was curved in what might have been a faint smile. "Seasoned, Laotsu? Only a fool would think the sentimentality of the Gaka Family could fade with time."

Katara was not sure whether this was an insult or not, but the nobleman's pleased expression only grew. "My Lord does flatter his subjects! I wonder if His Majesty might humor his humble vassal further," he said, tipping his head to one side in query, "I have only just heard a rumor that has inspired a question in my mind that burns to-"

"Ask your question, Lord Laotsu," Katara said. The words had popped out of her mouth without much thought, but she could not muster up any embarrassment. The evening had gone on too long already. She did not have the energy for Laotsu's games.

"Ah! Yes!" Apparently not offended, Laotsu held up a finger, brows riding high as he drew breath. His eyes sparkled, twin windows to a vast library of secrets. Katara braced herself. "It is being said that on this very night Former Gen-"

But Lord Laotsu was cut off by a sudden shift in the music. From where she sat, Katara could see that Bato had taken over one of the Fire Nation flutists' positions and the other musicians were struggling to keep apace of the bright tune he played. The sound was like sunlight sparkling off the distant icecaps.

Sokka approached the dais, bowing but still looking smug. "So, it's customary in the Southern Water Tribe for newlyweds to have a dance," he said. "You know – just so everybody's clear on who's marrying who."

Katara looked to Zuko and found he was already standing. He was already offering her a hand. The troubled undertone remained beneath his faint smile, but Katara felt the rise of that tide in her chest again, waking after the hours of stillness. They began descending the steps to the open dance floor. As they passed Lord Laotsu, he peered after them but said nothing.

Once she and Zuko began dancing, Katara found the evening far more bearable. The nobles mainly stayed away, though there were new disruptions. Aang, for instance.

"Thanks, Zuko," the Avatar said, grinning and side-stepping dancing couples as he followed them. "I really think I learned a lot from that example. I had no idea that you could-"

Katara didn't hear the rest because Zuko spun them away from Aang. His dancing wasn't exactly expert, but he could move from Point A to Point B when he really wanted to. She wondered briefly why he wanted to put distance between them and the Avatar, but found she did not mind enough to ask.

Inevitably, Toph caught up to Katara as she was sipping chilled Spice Wine.

"Good effort up there, Sweetness. You really shocked the pants off the Earth Nobles. I guess the Fire Nation isn't as prissy as they seem." The earthbender held out a hand in a clenching gesture. "Next time, try more butt-grabbing."

Katara choked on her wine and, when she had finally finished coughing it up, checked to be sure Zuko was still engaged in a discussion with her father. She turned a fierce glare on Toph and pointed a finger in the blind girl's face. "No next-times! I did your stupid favor; we're square."

"You're a square," Toph said, idly knocking her hand aside. "Sheesh, am I the only person here who likes fun?"

"That's possible," said Zuko. Katara barely restrained herself from dropping her wine glass. He glanced between her and Toph. "What kind of fun?"

"Boring fun," Katara said too loudly. "Really just – really not-fun fun. Like, like… iceberg-watching. Or brushing Appa."

Zuko stared at her. Toph threw up her hands and sighed. As she turned to leave, she muttered, "The funnest thing about Katara is watching her squirm."

The waterbender scowled and was about to shoot some razor-sharp retort after her, but Zuko's low voice stopped her.

"So," he said, his breath damping the skin below her ear. "Sticking your tongue in my mouth in front of hundreds of people bores you, huh?"

Katara shuddered and turned to gaze up into those simmering eyes. "You knew?"

"Guessed," Zuko said. He smirked. His hand slipped around her waist and he pulled her close for another dance. "Answer the question, waterbender."

Katara found the wine glass plucked from her hand by a passing servant. She never took her eyes from the firebender before her. Her husband, she remembered, and slid her palms over the blue silk of his wedding robes. "I can think of less boring things I'd like to do in private."

Zuko dipped his mouth to her ear. "So can I. Let's get out of here."

* * *

When they had made it at last to Zuko's bedchamber – their bedchamber, she remembered – and the door had closed against Lin and the empty Chit-Tso teacup and all the rest of the palace, Katara jumped him. His mouth was sweet from whatever he had eaten at the reception and her hands, picking apart the ties of his robes, fumbled against his chest like stunned birds. She tried to hide their trembling by pressing her body against his, pressing him back against the door.

At first, Zuko seemed almost drunk in his slowness. His hands were a hot spill down the sleek curve at the small of her back. Then they cupped her bottom, pulled her harder against him and Katara could feel the hard lump of his erection through all their layers of silk. Katara hitched up a leg, bracing her knee against the door behind him, and moaned into his mouth.

With an answering groan, Zuko gripped both sides of the elegant ties of her dress and pulled until seams popped and ivory toggles went skittering across the floor.

Katara gave a little gasp but pressed her nose against his neck. "Seamstress Yun."

"Job security," Zuko said. His voice hitched on the last syllable because her mouth was pressed against the side of his throat and her teeth just grazed there. He tugged at the outer layer of the wedding dress until Katara shed it to reveal another layer, this one white and cut even closer to the skin. She pulled his robes down from his shoulders, baring his chest to her mouth.

Zuko tipped his head back against the door and said some word that was not quite a word. Katara pressed her wet mouth to his scars, to all the seams of his chest. Her tongue laved the muscles of his belly down to his navel.

Suddenly, Zuko's hands fell to grip her shoulders, to stop her. His word came again, resurfaced in Katara's mind. "Wait," he said again.

His eyes were hot, too hot. but Katara stared into them as she stood. "What's wrong?"

Zuko was still breathing hard. He seemed to be searching for words.

"Was it the kiss?" Katara asked. "I tried to warn you. Toph was threatening to do something drastic. I was pretty sure it wouldn't be all that embarrassing."

"It wasn't. It's not. Katara…" Zuko started digging in a hidden pocket in the sash still holding his pants in place. He pulled out a bent, stained roll of paper. It was just a little thing, yet he held it like a dangerous insect. "I received this today. The gardener found it near the south wall."

Katara took the paper, her fingers rasping against it as she opened it to read. It was only a tea advertisement, written in big, bold splashes of characters and clever stylized icons of tea cups and leaves.

_Celebrate our Fire Lord's happy union with exotic imported herbal blends at Won Chi's Jade Cup!_

"So?" Katara narrowed her eyes at Zuko.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Look at the bottom."

Katara looked more closely. What she had thought was just a lower border was tipped on one end with a trimmed flight and on the other with a slim arrow head. It smudged under her fingers and Katara realized it was drawn in coal instead of ink.

She looked up at Zuko. "You think it's a message from Chu Tan?"

The firebender nodded and crossed his arms over his bare chest. "I don't see how it couldn't be. He must have some news for us."

"That's not much of a system for delivering messages," she said.

"He's a kid."

Katara only held the advertisement in one hand and stared at her new husband. In the corner of her eye, the bed was vast and flickering by the light of candles. "You want to go meet with him."

"It won't take long," Zuko said, frowning toward his potted plants in thought. "And with all the celebrating, it should be easy to sneak down to Scorch Street and back."

"Yes. All those people celebrating our wedding will make a great cover, Zuko."

He looked at her then, seeming stunned. "Are you mad at me?"

"Me? Mad at you? Whatever gave you that idea?" Katara flung the advertisement to the floor and stalked toward his concealed wardrobe. Her skin all around her chest and back was cold where the outer layer of her torn dress had held in so much heat. "I mean – hah! – it's only our wedding night!"

She threw open the doors, stalked into the dim room of drawers and closets and snatched her black clothing from the back of a cupboard. When she turned to leave the wardrobe, Katara found Zuko standing in the doorway. His arms were tight over his chest, obscuring the star-shaped scar from sight.

"You knew when you agreed to this," he said. "You knew there would be times when I had to put my Nation first."

Katara stepped to pass him and paused there in the doorway. Their eyes met. She was searching for the words, the right way to put this injustice into words. "My people put their families first," she said at last. It was simple and stupid and just not enough.

Zuko looked away. "It might be news," he said.

Katara saw the rawness in him, then. She saw him missing his uncle. But even as she ached in sympathy for him, she ached in her own dejection. Katara let her shoulder brush his as she passed. Without a word, she changed in the bathroom with the door fully shut.

* * *

AN: So, I hope you'll all forgive me for this and stick around for the final finale. Thanks so much again for all of your support and encouragement!


	50. Chapter 50

AN: And by god I meant it! This is it! The last chapter! I worked hard on this ending and I hope that, after reading all these chapters, it delivers for you!

* * *

The Nobles' District was quieter than Katara had ever seen it. The occasional patrol of guards clanked through the smoothly-paved streets and a few carriages arrived home, passing through high iron gates to the big lit houses beyond. Sounds of drumming and wild music rose up from the poorer districts, punctuated by the occasional pops of fireworks.

Katara followed Zuko through the tidy streets, on edge. The sun had baked away all the rain of a few days previous so that there was now little moisture on the ground. The waterbender felt it as an itch beneath her skin, a tightness in the motions of her body. The distant throbs of drums rattled some empty part of her. The stars swarmed like bright flies around the fat, waning moon.

Zuko darted across a street ahead of her and Katara let the distance build between them as they entered the merchants' district. The streets here were quiet as well. The shops were closed for the holiday and though the hour was still not terribly late, no lights burned behind windows of either shop or apartment. Everyone was out.

Katara watched the shadowy masked figure ahead of her dart around a corner but, as she hurried to catch up, she caught the sound of singing. Where the alley intersected with a wider street, she peered down toward one of the middle neighborhoods where bright fires were burning and banners were being waved on the ends of long poles. She peered toward the turn Zuko had taken and, figuring she knew the way to Scorch Street by now, slipped off toward the party for a look.

Fireworks sparked overhead in shades of red, purple, and blue and Katara ducked behind an empty fruit stand so she would not be noticed watching. The crowd was composed of people of all ages and their voices were raised in a tune she thought she recognized. A man in an odd hat juggled fire with his bending. A giant dragon puppet swept around, dipping its fringed whiskers to the uneven paving-stones, then hopping and twisting away. Children shrieked and laughed in its wake. A group of men slung their arms around one another and shared a bottle of something strong, belting out the song slightly off-key.

Katara peered over the fruit stand to watch all of this, her heart quickening to the tune. It was a Water Tribe weaving song, common enough. Kana used to sing it. How it had come to be in the Fire Nation, sung on the day of her wedding, Katara couldn't guess.

"…Through and through, separates make a whole. Aqua, blue – waves curl in the folds…"

Katara thought about her gran-gran sitting in the tent at home, thought about her fleeing an arranged marriage so many years ago. She wondered what Kana would think when she heard the news of Katara's marriage, the political flavor of it all.

She felt a tug on her elbow and, startled, turned to find the Blue Spirit watching her, crouched beside her in the shadows there. He didn't speak, but he reached out with a gloved finger and gently wiped the wetness from beneath one of Katara's eyes.

She scrubbed her face with her sleeve, smearing the red paint. "Nothing. It's nothing."

"It isn't nothing," Zuko said. His voice was soft but Katara could hear the tension there. "You're really upset with me."

"Wow, you must be a real expert on my feelings since you picked up on that one."

Overhead a firework exploded. The sound made Katara's bones rattle. Zuko was just staring at her. With the mask on, she couldn't tell whether she had hurt his feelings or made him angry. She told herself it didn't matter.

"Let's just get this over with," Katara said. "I'm tired." She slipped back down the alley and had turned down one street and then another before his hand fell on her shoulder and she stopped. Katara shrugged off his touch as she turned to face him. "What?"

"I just-" He peered at her through the mask and raised a hand to rub the back of his neck. "I don't understand. I thought you liked doing this."

Katara huffed and waved an arm. "Running around the city in disguise isn't the kind of thing I imagined doing on my wedding night, Zuko. Excuse me if I'm a little disappointed to find myself in a marriage of convenience after all."

She turned to continue on toward Scorch Street. Zuko stepped quick to stay beside her. "Hey! What about this is convenient?"

Katara stopped and turned on him, jabbing a finger into his chest. "You think we can just get married and go take care of business. That's pretty convenient."

"I don't think it is," Zuko said. Katara wanted to turn away, wanted to keep on walking but something in his voice made her hesitate. She watched the hitch in his shoulders as he went on. "I would rather be home right now, too. I would be if I didn't feel like it was my duty to check this out."

Katara went on staring at him, watching for some deeper proof. She couldn't see it. All she saw was a mask over the face of her young husband. She saw him offering the first placation for the first wound, the first really bitter hurt. Katara felt the tide in her chest again, the hammering love and sizzling pain.

Technically, she could still leave him in accord with Water Tribe marital traditions. But Katara knew she would not go. She loved him. She was devoted to him already. Zuko felt it was his duty to see to his secret plots before he saw to her and Katara hated that. It also was a part of what made him the man she loved.

It was true what he had said earlier in his room, though. She had known it would be this way. Knowing simply had not prepared her for the sting of it.

When the silence had stretched on too long, Zuko lowered his face and spoke. "It's probably nothing, anyway."

Katara was tough. Katara would get through this and they would find happier times. She huffed and blustered as if she had forgiven him, as if she could. "Oh, it'd better not be nothing," she snapped. "If it really is nothing, I'll make Chu-Tan a bow string with his own guts."

He did not laugh like she had hoped he would. Zuko wasn't fooled. Instead, he just went on staring at her through that mask, unreadable. Katara turned and hurried ahead toward Scorch Street.

* * *

The twists of the Lower District were packed with celebrants. There were no paper dragons here and there were no colorful fireworks, but the poorest of the poor still rejoiced. The drums beat wild and quick here and people danced in the streets. Horns, usually kept hidden with a few other treasures, had emerged to trumpet and lull through the tight turns of Scorch Street.

The clear notes seemed to pass too high over Zuko's head to really touch him, though. He crouched with Katara in the alley outside The Jade Cup and was sure he could feel the warmth of her body just inches away from his. She would not touch him, though. She was angry. And maybe sad. It was really hard to tell.

Zuko clenched his jaw and fixed his eyes on the back door to the tea shop and tried not to think about exactly how he had screwed up. He had to stay focused. There was no room for error, here. The best he could do for Katara was get this over with and hurry back to the palace. They would work it out, then. He would figure out a way to make it up to her.

Katara poked him in the back and Zuko realized that a skinny young man had emerged from the back door and was presently shaking out buckets of used tea leaves onto a heap of refuse nearby. The waste hit with a wet splat and filled the alley with a smell that was half-herb, half-decay.

How had he not noticed Chu-Tan come through the door?

Zuko darted out of the shadows to cut between the youth and the rear entrance to the Jade Cup. He did not have his weapons bared, but Chu-Tan still squeaked and dropped into a full kowtow when he turned and saw the Blue Spirit. His buckets clattered across the cobblestones. Katara, standing at Zuko's side with her hands on her hips, spoke.

"I hope you have a good reason for sending your little message, Chu-Tan. And I mean a _really_ good reason."

Chu-Tan wouldn't even look up. "I'm so sorry to have disturbed you," he said. His bent back quivered. "I would never dare! But I- This morning he was in my house and he brought fresh turnip-chokes for my sisters and he made me swear to get it to you but I couldn't get past the guards and-"

Katara waved her hands. "Woah, woah – slow down. Get _what_ to us? Who are you talking about?"

"Here! I have it here." Chu-Tan dug inside his tunic and pulled out a tiny wooden object, a disk. He offered it up with both hands.

Zuko knew what it was before he stepped forward and took it. He didn't need to look at it to know the design on the Pai Sho piece was the white lotus. Katara was squinting and leaning close as Zuko turned to watch Chu-Tan.

"Was there a message?" he asked.

Still on his knees, the youth shook his head and didn't look up from the ground. "No, my Lord. Only the tile. Oh – and he gave his congratulations- to you both."

Katara was staring back and forth between Zuko and Chu-Tan. "Wait," she said. "Are we talking about Iroh? Iroh was here?"

Zuko placed the lotus tile in her hand. He wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry, so he shelved the issue for later consideration. "He was supposed to be transported to a coal mine at dawn. I guess he missed the boat."

"He escaped?"

"I guess so." Zuko inhaled the scents of the hot old tea leaves, at once soothing and sickening.

"Well?" Katara was watching him. There was a worried tilt to her brow. "What do we do?" she asked.

Zuko wanted to slip his fingers through hers where she clutched the lotus tile. He wanted to hear the wooden piece clatter on the stone or splat into the refuse, but mostly he wanted to hold her hand. He was afraid she would pull away, though, so he did not. "Go home," he said. "Wait for the guards to notice and report it."

They left Chu-Tan there – with instructions to pass messages on through Lin next time – and made their way back toward the palace. The large parties were beginning to break up but small groups of citizens still lingered, singing or toasting. Most were staggering home. The children had all been whisked off to bed.

Zuko was scaling a wall into the Nobles' District when the last of the fireworks were set off. He helped Katara up onto the wall, not that she seemed to need or even want his help, and then pointed back the way they had come. She turned and watched as a thousand lights burned and smoked over the city. Her face was attentive but blank and she maintained the inches between them with care.

"It's beautiful," she said.

Zuko dipped his mouth closer to her shoulder. "We should have stayed home."

"This was important." She still stared out over the city. "News about your uncle. Family business." Her short words felt sharp despite her soft tone. Zuko wanted to bleed if that would sooth her.

"It could have waited. It should have. Listen, I'm sorry I brought you out here."

Katara turned her bright eyes on him then. "Don't apologize to me if you don't mean it, Zuko."

"I mean it. I'm sorry."

"But that won't stop you from doing it again. This is going to happen. You're going to put your Nation first and I'm going to learn to live with it like I said I would."

Zuko again envisioned himself sitting on the throne. He envisioned his kneeling family, Katara blank-faced and submissive. Chilled, he snatched up her hand and clutched it to his chest. "Agni, please don't."

Katara stared at him like he was crazy.

"I know," Zuko said, scowling down and to one side. "I said pretty much those same words before we left. I was wrong, though. I made a mistake. This was a special night and I ruined it because I couldn't just- just-" He bared his teeth behind the mask, seething in search for the words.

"Relax?"

Zuko shrugged and nodded, then tightened his fingers around hers. They were cold through her glove. He wanted so much to warm them. "Katara, you're the Fire Lady and you're my partner. Unfortunately, I make mistakes." Zuko frowned off to one side again, then looked back to her. "Sometimes really bad ones. You have every right to call me out when I'm being stupid, Katara. I actually need you to. We may come from different cultures, but we both want the same thing together – love in our family. I'm just- My family didn't exactly set a firm foundation for me when it comes to balance and compromise."

Katara was watching him. She raised her empty hand toward the mask, but then stopped and lowered it. "Yeah, I guess you don't really know what you're doing."

Under the mask, Zuko smiled. It faded quickly, though. Katara turned away. The light flashing against her painted profile made the red appear purple, orange. Her scrubbing had wiped it away in places, leaving patches of her bare skin visible. There, the colors in the light were brighter and more varied.

"At least we got to see the fireworks," she said at length. There was a mild smile in her voice, a calm that had not been there all day.

Zuko leaned closer and, still holding her hand to his chest, eased one arm around her waist. "That's nothing. I could show you better fireworks." It was an uncertain combination of a growl and a plea.

Katara raised a painted eyebrow at him but did not lean away. "You could have if we had stayed home. Now I think I'm too tired for any more fireworks." Her blue eyes were sparkling, filled with twinkling lights.

"What if I carried you the rest of the way?" Zuko asked with his chin near her shoulder. "Do you think you could stay awake for just a few firecrackers?"

"I guess it's worth a try," Katara said. She was smiling at him. He could see it in her eyes.

They climbed down from the wall and Zuko bent so that Katara could hop up onto his back. Her weight was just right against him, her arms fiercely twined around his shoulders. Where he gripped the backs of her knees, he felt her softness, her flexing tendons. A wave of heat filled him. Zuko couldn't run fast enough back to the palace.

* * *

His torso was hot and surging between her legs and Katara couldn't wait to get back to the palace. Despite her complaints of weariness, sleep was the last thing on her mind.

She had thought Zuko would brood about his uncle all the way home and forget about her disappointment. After all, even she wasn't sure how to feel about Iroh's escape and she hadn't been half as close as Zuko to the man before his betrayal. Or mock-betrayal. Real or not, it had shaken her and she knew it had shaken Zuko, too.

Still, it was difficult to swallow her own hurt so that she could be there for Zuko in what was probably a moment of crisis. It had felt dishonest, like telling Sokka that she enjoyed stitching up his pants to make him feel better for having ripped them. Still, Katara had watched Zuko's tense shoulders closely, had waited to see if he would say something or just go on stewing.

And then he had said what he had said and it hadn't been at all what she expected. Katara still wasn't exactly ready to forgive Zuko for bringing her out on the street on their wedding night – in fact, she intended to bring it up whenever necessary in the future. She was, however, ready to salvage the evening.

It was awkward, clinging to his back the way she was, and Katara felt like she should be too heavy to be carried like this, but Zuko went on tirelessly. His footsteps were louder than usual with her added weight and she could hear his breath coming heavy through the mask, but he only ever slowed to be sure the street ahead was clear. The heat of his body was a furnace against her breasts and belly and thighs. With every step, she bounced against him.

Crossing a courtyard in the nobles' district, they almost came face-to-face with a unit of night watchmen. Zuko darted into a shadowed doorway set into an alley. They weren't seen. Releasing her knees, he let Katara slide down his back to her own feet. Her legs felt a little rubbery and she kept her hands on his back as he craned his neck to peer out into the courtyard.

"Great," he said softly. "They're waiting to meet another patrol. We're stuck."

Katara wasn't really listening, though. She was focused on how hot his skin felt through his sweat-dampened tunic. As if by magnetic forces, her hands slid across the hard ridges of his back, around to his firm chest. She pressed her body against his, huffed the scent from the back of his neck. Soap, musk, Zuko.

"Katara," he growled. It almost sounded nervous. "They're right there, Katara."

"Shy, turtle-duck?" Her hands ventured over the folds of his sash, lower.

"You know I'm not." Zuko stood frozen, braced against one side of the doorway and still peering out at the guards. Katara could feel, through the fabric of his pants, the loincloth stretched over his hipbone. He turned his head to look over his shoulder at her and shifted his hips to one side.

Katara gave a little gasp as her fingers came across his hardening organ where it tented out against the fabric. It wasn't that she was surprised to find it, but the feeling was like slipping into a charted current that yanked the boat harder than she had expected. She settled her hand over that arch of stiff flesh and squeezed. Zuko grunted softly through his mask and looked back toward the guards. Behind her fukumen, Katara grinned and whispered against the back of his neck.

"I hope you haven't forgotten your promise," she said.

He moved so fast she barely restrained her squeak. Suddenly, Katara found her back pressed to the side of the doorframe that Zuko had only just been leaning against. He faced her, his hands hot on her shoulders and his body mere inches away. For a long moment, he stayed that way. His only movement was his chest, swelling closer with each breath.

Finally, Zuko slid his palms slowly down her arms. "I thought you were too tired for fireworks, waterbender."

Katara let her eyes flick downward, let her hands slide over his hips, his belly. He shuddered but stilled his touch above her elbows and made no move. The eyeholes of the mask were dark, unchanging. "I just want to keep the Fire Lord honest," Katara said at last. Her voice was a delicate whisper, light as her fingers tracing his nipple through his tunic. "It wouldn't do for you to go back on your word to me on the very day of our wedding."

"I see." Zuko closed his hand over hers where it touched his chest so lightly. Then, he leaned fractionally to one side, peeking past her toward the courtyard.

Katara tried to turn and follow his gaze – could the guards really be doing something all that interesting? – but then Zuko was lifting his mask and pressing against her and kissing her full on the mouth. It was urgent, breathless. His teeth were on her lower lip, nipping and tugging until Katara moaned and opened to him. Tender, the tip of his tongue penetrated, brushed against hers.

Zuko's body was all planes and hardness. His tunic steamed against his skin. In the dry air, that moisture tickled the edge of Katara's senses, at once soothing and enticing. She became very aware that her hands were pinned between their bellies, one caught in his. Even as she kissed Zuko back, she pulled and squirmed against him. He eased away just slightly, just enough. Katara burrowed one hand to grasp his swollen organ through his pants. Zuko groaned and kissed her more deeply.

"They're gone," he said against her mouth. "We should get home." He didn't move away.

Katara squeezed and ground her palm down the length of his shaft. Zuko grunted and set his mouth against her neck below her ear. She felt the sweep of his tongue, the twitch of his cock. Katara dropped her head back and forgot about words and discussions.

Zuko sank his fingers into her hair, further disarraying the elegant braids that remained. Still trapped between them, his other hand squeezed hers, then let go. It slid free, tracing down her body to clench on her hip, then tug against the back of her thigh.

Katara didn't hesitate. She hugged his shoulders and hitched up her legs around him. Zuko gripped her bottom in both hands and pressed her to the doorframe with his hips, pressed his bulge against the aching place between her legs.

Katara fisted her fingers in his tunic and gasped, moaned. She was not thinking about their first time happening against a wall in an alley and all the things that were wrong with that. All she thought was how right he felt against her, how heavily he breathed against her neck. All she thought was 'more.'

"Ah, please," she said, twisting her hips. "Please."

Zuko groaned and rubbed against her, a slow and hard thrust that made Katara's back arch and drove the breath from her mouth in a mirthless 'hah.' She looked into his eyes and found them on her lips, hungry as a wolf-bear's.

Suddenly, the door swung in and open and Katara and Zuko found themselves awash in lamplight. They fell to scrambled motions, replacing masks and regaining their feet. A middle-aged woman in a servant's patchy dressing gown appeared from inside the building, shaking a broom.

"Shoo! You hooligans stay off my lady's-!" She stopped, catching sight of the Blue Spirit mask. Her work-worn hand rose to pat at her chest. "Oh my!"

Katara stood there, feeling as frozen as Zuko seemed to be as the woman's eyes gave them both a quick once-over. Zuko made a strangled sound and dropped both hands to cover his still-tented pants.

The serving woman was a little pink in the cheeks, but she still raised her broom. "Now, is this any way to behave in public? It may be a happy day, but that's no excuse to set such a shameful example! Have a little self-control, for Agni's sake! And you!"

Zuko took a half-step back to avoid being prodded with that broom. The woman gave it a shake for good measure. "I heard what you did on the night of the ball, ruffian! You stay away from Fire Lady Katara! Saving her life doesn't give you the right to get all handsy! You!" The broom swung toward Katara and she, too, hopped back a step. "You keep your eye on this one. Now both of you stay away from my lady's house!"

Zuko snatched up Katara's hand and pulled her from the alley at a run. His fingers were hot even through his glove. Under the shadows of the far side of the courtyard, he released her and stepped back, put a little distance between them.

Katara peered back toward their former hiding place. "Did she recognize me?"

"I don't think so," Zuko said. "Come on."

They raced back to the palace and, after wriggling through a narrow window near the guests' wing, scurried through the quiet corridors. As they passed the ballroom, they found that the reception had not entirely wound down, but was well on its way. They continued on toward the royal wing but came across a pair of drunken Water Tribesmen who had apparently gotten lost. Zuko and Katara ducked back into a curtained alcove. The two men passed, arguing good-naturedly if a bit more loudly than was necessary.

When they had gone. Zuko didn't move. Katara touched his shoulder. "Is something wrong?"

"No." He rubbed the back of his neck absently. "What did I do to you on the night of the ball?"

Katara peeked around the curtain to be sure the coast was clear, then braced her hands on her hips and stuck her nose in the air. "You let Laotsu see you holding me like a lover, ruffian. There's a rumor going around that I was torn in choosing between the Blue Spirit and the Fire Lord."

He stared at her through the mask and she couldn't quite restrain her chuckle.

"And another rumor that the Blue Spirit serves the Fire Lord because he has fallen in love with me and wants me to be happy. And a competing rumor that he serves the Fire Lord because he's waiting for me to tire of royalty and run away with him."

Zuko shook his head. "Where did you hear all this crap?"

"Seamstress Yun's assistants. Their voices carry more in the sewing room than they think." Katara grinned and then turned to check the corridor again. Zuko's hand on her arm stopped her.

"Which would you pick?" he asked.

From far down the corridor came the faint clicks of fine shoes. They were distant, still, and Katara paid them no mind.

She was more interested in the heat of his palm at her elbow. When she turned back to face him, she found the mask turned down as he watched her. Katara didn't really think about it. Silently, she lifted the Blue Spirit's face.

Beneath, Zuko was smiling faintly, his eyes mellow in the faint light of the alcove. With a pluck of finger and thumb, he tugged down her fukumen to bare her lips. He leaned closer, turning his head so his good ear was near her mouth.

Katara breathed against that ear. "You." Then, gripping his chin, she turned his face and breathed against his other ear, the burned ear. The flesh of his scar was tough and warm against her cheek. She felt his arms come up around her, his chest firm against hers. She felt his breathing hitch when she licked the cup of his ear and took the lobe between her teeth. She stepped into him to feel his arousal grow against her belly.

"Katara," he said.

It occurred to her that Zuko had whispered more loudly than he should have, but she was still shocked to hear the prim footsteps stop on the other side of the curtain. She was still horrified to hear a silky throat being cleared.

"Ahem. Fire Lord Zuko?" inquired Lord Laotsu.

Katara hissed a curse against Zuko's shoulder. His voice almost sounded like he was smiling. "I am busy, Lord Laotsu. Go away."

"Yes, of course! I would not dare disturb His Majesty's… activities," Laotsu said. "However, I promised an old friend that I would deliver a message as soon as possible and, fate having led me to cross your path one final time this night, I feel I must do so."

There was a sound of something small and wooden hitting the floor, then lightly scraping. From under the curtain came the curled toe of Lord Laotsu's dainty shoe, pushing a small wooden disk. Katara didn't have to pick it up to see it was a Pai Sho tile.

"My friend says he is enjoying the hospitality of the Chong Family."

In her arms, Zuko stood perfectly still, staring at the tile where the light from under the curtain cast it into a crescent of shadow.

"My Lord, my Lady," said Laotsu, "the Gaka Family is always listening. As it has always been, the best of rumors we reserve as gifts for our sovereigns."

"Yes, Laotsu," Zuko said. "You honor your Family's old vows. You may go."

Katara took a deep breath and, at the first click of a receding shoe, let it out. "Thank you, Lord Laotsu."

His steps paused. She could almost hear him bowing. "It is my pleasure to serve you, Fire Lady. Good night."

His footsteps faded and vanished. In the silence, Katara finally sighed. "You could have mentioned those old vows, you know. It might have saved me all that time I spent being suspicious."

Zuko pulled away to rub the back of his neck. "There's actually a lot going on around here. It's hard to keep track of all the details."

"No kidding." Katara bent and picked up the tile. "Huh. This one isn't a white lotus, either."

"What?"

"It's a wheel tile. And the one from Chu Tan was a curling serpent tile. See?" She dug the other tile from where she had tucked it in her sash and handed both to Zuko. He peered at them for a long moment but didn't say anything. "So, what does that mean?"

The expression on his face told her that he had no idea. Zuko's shoulders heaved with a sigh. "The game goes on? I think it means he's investigating the Chong Family, which would make sense."

"Ah," Katara said. She tugged idly at his tunic, straightening a wrinkle. "Does that mean we need to-?"

"No," Zuko said. The mask slipped down his face but he pushed it back up and placed a hot kiss on her cheek. "I promised you fireworks."

* * *

When they came at last to the secret door, Katara let out a tense breath she had not realized she had been holding. No more obstacles. No more interruptions. Zuko opened the door and ushered her inside. She stood in their bedroom, gazing at the giant bed and the many, many candles. Each candle stood or floated in one of several wide, flat bowls of water. The air felt faintly humid in this room.

Behind her, Katara heard the door shut and lock. When she turned, she found Zuko peeling off his mask. His eyes had a ready glimmer in the candle light and, as he stepped toward her, Katara felt her heart leap into her throat. Zuko stopped a few paces away and furrowed his brow.

"You look nervous," he said, holding out a hand to her.

Katara stepped forward and laid her fingers in his palm. It was dry and warm. "I guess I'm kind of waiting for the next thing to go wrong."

"Nothing else is going to-" Zuko cut himself off and Katara could tell by the widening of his yellow eyes that he was thinking of things that might still go wrong.

She began fiddling with the front of his tunic. "It was a joke. I guess I am kind of nervous."

Zuko peered down at her and she saw the worry fade from his eyes. He smirked at her and laid a hand on her shoulder. "You should be nervous."

Katara made a face at him. "And why's that, exactly?"

"Because I've spent years preparing for this encounter. Training. Meditating. You don't stand a chance." He began tracing tiny circles on her shoulder with his fingertips and drew her hand gently to his chest.

"My element makes me a master of adaptation." Katara turned her shoulders just so, simultaneously guiding their joined hands to her chest and sliding the fingers of her free hand along Zuko's trim waist. She grinned at him, tipping her chin up cheekily. "Your training is no match for my instinct."

"We'll soon see whose technique is more powerful," Zuko said. With a single fingertip, he traced the ridge of her bindings across the top of her chest.

Katara shivered and splayed her fingers against the heat of his chest. "You're probably pretty uncomfortable in all this damp clothing. I wouldn't want to take an unfair advantage."

Zuko smiled crookedly and stroked the side of her neck. "Stand back. I want to show you a cool trick."

Katara raised an eyebrow and took a few steps back, then crossed her arms over her chest.

"Farther," Zuko said. "Go sit on the bed."

She laughed but did it, leaning back on her elbows and crossing her legs. When she looked up, she found Zuko was tugging off his boots. She grinned. "Alright, Master Hotman. Let's see this trick."

Katara watched the way Zuko schooled his expression with a calming breath. He dropped into a firebending stance and began working through a set she had never seen before. It was odd; there were none of the fierce punches or kicks Katara was familiar with. Instead, the motions focused on slow rises and falls with the breath. Two stances in, wisps of steam began to rise off Zuko's clothing. Katara smirked and barely restrained a comment about how impressive it was that he could dry his own clothes.

Then, his shirt flamed up and began disintegrating in a faint puff of smoke. The fabric blackened and curled away from his pale skin, leaving his torso bare, muscles flexed at the moment of peak inhalation, highest tension.

Katara could only stare. She was unaware of her mouth hanging slightly open. Zuko continued through the set, muscles bulging and softening with every slow breath. His socks vanished in quick bursts of fire, then his pants began to smolder.

Katara knew something had gone wrong the moment his yellow eyes widened and his smooth breathing stuttered. It was also the moment his pants burst into flames. She leapt to her feet but Zuko was quick. He extinguished the flames with a smooth shift in weight and posture. The charred remnants of his pants hung from the intact sash. Beneath, Katara could see faint pink burns across his upper thighs.

"Too close," he said through gritted teeth. "I let it get too close. I really can do this. Let me try one more time." Zuko assumed one of the stances, expression terse.

Katara had already pulled water from the nearest bowl of candles and gloved her hands in it, but she nodded and sat back down.

Zuko took another calming breath and picked up the form. His motions were even slower, the flex and slack of his muscles more pronounced with every breath. The sash and last shreds of his pants sparked, flashed, and burned out of existence. Then, clad only in his slightly-singed loincloth, Zuko closed the set and crossed his arms over his chest. He was not quite scowling, but he certainly looked unhappy.

Katara rose again and came to him, hands already glowing.

"I don't need-" Zuko stood as if frozen while she knelt before him and smoothed the healing water over his burned thighs. He was right. They were only singed. It must have stung, considering the location, but the damage wasn't really enough to worry over. Katara healed him anyway, soothing away the redness.

Then, she looked up at him. Zuko was frowning still, his eyebrow tilted back in what might have been uncertainty.

Katara stroked his knee and smiled. "That is a cool trick."

"It's a lot cooler when it actually works."

"Oh, I think it worked pretty well," Katara said. She slid her fingertips up his lightly-haired thigh. He shuddered and caught her hand just below his hip.

"No sensations that tickle," he said. Looking down at her, though, he seemed unable to hold a stern expression. Abruptly, he lowered himself to kneel with her. "I'm sorry nothing is going smoothly tonight."

Katara pulled her hand from his so that she could stroke both sides of his face at once. So that she could feel the roughness and smoothness of him all at once. She met his bright eyes and kissed him lightly, chastely. "Come to bed, Zuko."

He blinked at her as if shocked and Katara pulled him to his feet. She led him along by one hand to the edge of the bed, then had him sit before her. Zuko peered up at her and settled his hands on her hips. Katara stroked the hair from his face.

Then, she patted her hand over her mouth and mocked a yawn. "Oh, I'm just so very tired. I don't know if I can even make it out of all of this clothing on my own."

On her hips, Zuko's fingers flexed. "I think I could probably help you with that."

"Could you?" Katara fought her smile and raised her arms straight over her head.

Zuko peered up at her, half-smiling. With deliberate slowness, he unraveled her sash. His fingers grazed her back and belly with each pass until the length of cloth fell loose to the floor. Very slowly, he pulled her shirt up from where it was tucked into her pants. The fabric rasped against her belly and, when it came free, Zuko bent closer. Meeting her eyes, he placed a tender kiss against her skin.

Katara gave a little gasp at the shock of that tiny contact. Unwittingly, her fingers tangled together where they waited above her head.

Zuko went on pulling out her shirt, placing soft kisses all across her belly and breathing his hot breath against her. The shirt finally came free, but Zuko went on, raising the fabric only a few inches at a time and kissing her ribs, kissing her bindings. It almost tickled, but in a dizzying way. Katara's fingers clung to each other and she began biting her lip.

His fingers dragged against her sides as he lifted her shirt, a warm glide that made her skin prickle all over. As he began lifting her shirt up her arms and over her face, Katara gasped, temporarily blinded and bound by her own clothing. His mouth came up her neck by inches, licking the base of a tendon, popping a tiny kiss against her throat, sucking the side of her jaw.

Zuko kissed the corner of her mouth first, a tiny blink of a kiss. Then, he drew back somewhat and released a soft growl. "You're at my mercy, waterbender. Still nervous?"

Katara shut her mouth and swallowed. She licked her dry lips. "No." Her breathing didn't slow. "Not even a little."

"Hmm, I'll have to try new tactics," Zuko murmured as his mouth settled against hers. Katara had only just begun kissing him back when he pulled her shirt the rest of the way up and over her hands. She immediately threw her arms around his neck, pulling him deeper into the kiss. Zuko made a soft sound and wrapped his arms around her, splaying his hands flat on her back. His belly was firm and warm against hers and his stiff organ felt hot even through the last layers of their clothing.

Katara broke away to breathe and Zuko began kissing her neck. She slid her hands across his shoulders. He began picking pins from her hair, unraveling her many braids. "You're still overdressed," he said.

Katara set her teeth against the muscle at the base of his neck and nipped him. He groaned and began grappling with the ties of her pants. Katara, smiling, soothed the bite with soft, damp kisses.

No sooner had her pants dropped away than Zuko tugged the hidden knot of her upper bindings. They fell apart around her, snagging between their bodies, but the strips fell away as Zuko pulled back. Katara watched his expression, his yellow eyes on her breasts like a physical contact. He ran a single finger down the center of her chest, pushing away the loops that were caught on the swells of her breasts. They tugged her nipples gently in passing.

Katara made a soft noise at the darts of pleasure. Zuko's gaze sharpened as he took in her expression. His hands were perhaps a little jerky as he tugged the knot of her lower bindings apart and guided them down her hips with gentle strokes.

As he knelt before her, untangling her feet, Katara smirked. "Now you're overdressed," she said.

Zuko ran his palm up her leg, gliding over the curves of her calf, her thigh. When he met her eyes, she thought she could see fire sparking behind them. "Get on the bed, Katara." It wasn't exactly a command – more like a dare.

Katara stroked his hair and stepped around him. She peered back as she began climbing onto the huge bed. He was standing, staring at her, and his loincloth was distorted with what it concealed. Katara smirked and crawled toward the center of the bed, watching him over her shoulder all the while. His eyes flittered all over her, resting again and again on her bottom.

Katara stopped and laid back on the pillows, arms outspread and legs crossed just so – the way that felt best. Zuko still stood there, staring. She arched an eyebrow. "Are you coming?"

* * *

_Nearly._

It took a lot of self control to not make a dive for her and Zuko stood rooted by the side of the bed, his mind awash in visions of all the things he would like to do. To Katara. Immediately.

But this was the first time and he had done pretty much everything wrong already so far. Zuko didn't know all there was to know about sex, but he knew the first time could hurt for a girl. No matter how badly things had gone so far, he didn't want hurting Katara to go on his list of screw-ups for the evening. He'd already made her cry once.

So, his underwear were staying on until the proper moment. It would be challenging – especially with Katara staring at his hard-on the way she was – but Zuko was determined. He would not fail.

He climbed onto the bed to follow her, moving at the same slow pace she had and coming to kneel at her feet. Her eyes flickered like choppy waves in the candlelight.

Zuko bent forward and very lightly kissed her knee, kissed down the angle of her shin. When he slid his fingers around Katara's ankle, she raised her leg for him, let him kiss the tender flesh above the knob of bone in that joint. He began kissing up the inside of her calf, relishing the cool tenderness of her skin. She sighed and Zuko smirked against her knee.

Then Katara began sliding her soft foot up his thigh. Zuko shuffled around a bit, leaning forward on his arms to divert her path. He caught a glimpse of her frustration, but focused on kissing up from her knee, licking and biting very gently. She gasped and seemed distracted enough. With just the tip of his tongue, Zuko licked the seam between her thigh and the plump outer lips of her sex. He watched her brow furrow, watched her breasts heave and shiver with every breath. Gently, he parted her flesh and dragged his tongue up the slick petals beneath until he found that certain bump, the place his Uncle (in a discussion that Zuko never remembered intentionally) had called the Ember.

Katara made a desperate sort of sound and tangled her fingers in his hair, twitching her hips under his mouth. Zuko glanced up her body again and saw her other hand clenching white-knuckled at the pillows. He slid one hand around her thigh and let his eyes shut.

There was something in the smell and taste of her, something deep and fierce that drew him closer like a moth to a light. It made him hungry in a complicated way. He wanted to kiss her, to hear her sounds. He wanted to press deeper into her, to find the source.

Katara's thigh quivered, pressed briefly inward. It was silky where it brushed the undamaged flesh of his jaw. Against his scar, her skin felt distant and cool as the sea. The contact came again, then stayed. Zuko looked up and met her blue eyes, now unfocused in her pleasure, and realized she was doing it on purpose. She wanted to feel his scar on her leg. He turned his face slightly, rubbed against her. Katara's eyes narrowed to slits as she hummed her pleasure.

"Mm! Zuko, please, your fingers."

Still swirling his tongue around her Ember, Zuko traced her wet opening with the tips of his fingers. Katara squirmed under his grip on her thigh. His cock throbbed where it was pressed to the bed. Zuko struggled with the urge to grind his hips. Control. He had to stay in control.

"Oh! Please!"

He groaned as he sank one finger inside her. There were her muscles, squeezing against his invading finger in that way he'd begun to fantasize about. He tried not to think that he would soon know how those muscles felt around his own sex, but failed. Zuko rubbed his still-clothed hips just once against the bed. Just once. Then, he added a second finger and she moaned, quivered. There was a tiny flutter inside her that was nothing beside the crashing orgasms he had given her before. He didn't even pause.

"Zuko," she said, and her voice was so clear and forceful that he had to look up, had to meet her eyes. She was sitting up on one elbow, panting, wild-eyed. "I want you. Right now."

A part of Zuko (he could not then decide whether it was the good part or the evil part) wanted to say no, and that he wasn't done here just yet. That part of him wanted to go on playing with her for hours, drawing out her climax again and again for as long as he could keep her in this bed.

The opposing part of Zuko won. Almost before he fully realized he was doing it, he had crawled up Katara's body, kissing her belly and her soft breasts and her open, gasping mouth. Holding himself up with his hands, he felt her touching him. He felt her stroking his sides and back and buttocks, felt her rip apart his loincloth. Then, her hands were around his shaft, squeezing, pumping, guiding. Her legs were around his hips, her opening slick against the head of his organ. Her eyes were deep enough to dive into.

Groaning, Zuko sank into her slowly, every muscle in his back taut in the strain of the moment. He felt the barrier. Half an instant later, he felt it break. Then, he was submerged, his entire length encased in Katara's tight channel. She stiffened and gasped out a harsh breath and he dropped his face into her shoulder to try and regain a little composure.

It was better than he had imagined it would be. Everything was slick tightness and pulsing muscles and heat. Zuko wanted to move, was dying to move, but fear held him still. He was ashamed to be enjoying this so much when Katara was probably in pain. He had gone too quickly. He just knew he had. There was nothing good in Zuko's life that he did not find a way to ruin.

"Are you okay?" he asked against her shoulder.

"Ah," she breathed. "So full."

Zuko raised his head to look at her and found her eyes half-lidded, her lips parted. Katara squirmed under him experimentally and his hips instinctively withdrew in a short thrust. She made a squeaking sound and Zuko stopped himself immediately "Did it hurt? Are you okay?"

Her eyes cleared and she stroked his face. "It stung, but that's gone now. It just feels… really good." Katara's arms slipped around his back and he could feel each finger where it gripped his flesh. Her legs pulled at his hips, drawing him down. She still wanted him, he realized, even after everything that had gone wrong tonight, she wanted him. The knowledge made a banked part of him blaze.

It took a lot of restraint to keep the motion slow as Zuko sheathed himself in her slick depths. He couldn't hold back his groan at the sensation, at the sight of Katara biting her lower lip. Carefully, he settled over her on his elbows and began a slow rhythm that immediately had his heart racing.

Zuko may have felt desperate to move faster, but it was Katara who squirmed. She pulled her legs up to a higher angle and Zuko felt her passage shift inexplicably. Then, he was somehow penetrating deeper and Katara was moaning and gyrating under him and he thought he was going to lose it, he was pretty sure he was about to lose it, so he stopped.

He rolled to his back, pulling her with him and hoping another position would delay the end. Katara made an annoyed sound and for a moment just straddled him, searching his face and running her hands over his heaving chest. His eyes were drawn to her exposed breasts. Maybe this position had been a poor choice.

Katara wasn't moving though. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, just-" Zuko could feel his face getting hot. "Just kind of excited."

She smiled at him and stroked his hands where they were locked on her hips. "Well, since you need a break, I'll just keep myself entertained."

Wide-eyed, Zuko watched Katara slide her hands up from her hips, trailing the tips of her fingers against the faint outlines of her ribs before fluttering along the soft creases beneath her breasts. Her nipples tightened, darkened, and her fingers twirled and pinched and tugged.

Zuko knew he was breathing through his mouth but he did not care. His hips twitched upward almost involuntarily and Katara's eyes rounded as she bounced a little. The sight made him smirk.

"You're getting cocky, waterbender."

"And you," Katara said, "must have been born cocky, turtle-duck." Then, she swiveled her hips and clenched her muscles and Zuko, grunting, gripped her a little harder and began pumping up against her.

He watched her mouth form into a pretty 'o.' "And for good reason," he managed.

Katara didn't reply, too focused on meeting his motions with her own. Her hands dropped to the flexing muscles of his belly and Zuko had a fine view of the way her breasts swayed with his every thrust. Gasping, racing closer and closer to his end, he trailed one palm down her belly until his thumb parted her downy woman's hair and settled on her Ember. In a last surge of focus and coordination, he managed some quick circular strokes.

Katara dropped her head back and her hair was a wild brown sea around her shoulders and looking at her that way Zuko lost it. He moaned and felt his organ reach its hardest, felt the quick tumble over and the surging, surging, surging through his loins, through his entire body. Atop him, Katara shuddered and he could feel her inner muscles twitch and flutter, but when his climax settled, she was still rolling her hips against him, biting her lip, looking frustrated.

This was not happening.

Though he was still panting and drained from the force of his orgasm, Zuko rolled Katara onto her back and settled between her legs, kissing her heatedly. When he pulled away, she watched him with those huge blue eyes and he could see her already forgiving him as he softened and grew tender inside her.

But no, this was not happening.

Zuko kissed swiftly down her body and returned his lips, his tongue to her Ember. He tasted himself there and it was strange but he ignored that and kissed and sucked and licked and with his fingers stroked her slick folds.

She felt different there, like a flower having bloomed, and his fingers sank easily, too easily. Her hands were in his hair, tighter than was comfortable, but Zuko ignored this. Katara was crying out and grinding her hips against his face and she had slung one leg over his shoulder.

When Zuko slid a third finger into her clenching sex, she erupted. She pulled his hair and dug into his back with her heel and said his name like she was shocked, like she hadn't expected to see him here.

He withdrew while she shuddered in the wake. Her eyes were shut, her arms flung out to either side as if abandoned. Zuko smiled and lay at her side with his mouth near her ear and one arm below her breasts. One of his legs rested between hers.

"I admit," he panted, "that your style is quite powerful. Next time, I will be better prepared."

Katara opened one eye and looked at him from its corner. She was trying not to smile. "Be sure that you do." After a moment, she turned her head and looked him full in the eyes. "Goodnight kiss?"

Smiling, Zuko kissed her. Then, because that kiss had not seemed fully relaxing, he kissed her again, very slowly drawing her tongue into his mouth. After perhaps the fifth goodnight kiss – at which time Katara had begun sucking the side of his throat – Zuko smirked against her ear and said, "Rematch?"

Katara got up on her elbows and peered down at him and he could see all the crashing tides in her eyes, all the tumbling love. He could see it, and he could feel it.

"You're on, turtle-duck," she said.

* * *

**Epilogue**

The Blue Spirit and the Red Demon made fewer appearances after the week of negotiations came to an end, but petty crimes and corruption in the Fire Nation Capital diminished anyway. Some said that because the Fire Lord had proven himself willing to make personal sacrifices in the name of justice, the vigilantes were no longer needed.

Fire Lord Zuko encouraged this impression by ruthlessly hunting down his traitorous uncle. The old man was crafty and had many allies and so eluded the Fire Lord for long months. Still, the young ruler struck down his uncle's supporters with brutal justice. One by one, the old empires of corruption collapsed. The Chong Family, then the Kogi Family, and so on until all the High Houses of Fire Nobility had fallen into line.

The traitor Iroh, however, was never caught.

Of course, there were rumors. Years later, some said the Fire Lord's uncle had finally grown weary and fled to the Earth Kingdom. One much-scoffed-at cabbage merchant reported seeing him with a pretty blind woman in a teashop in Omashu. (After "The Boy in the Iceberg," most Fire Nation citizens were suspicious of information gleaned from cabbage merchants.)

It was most widely believed, though, that Iroh was still hiding somewhere in the Fire Nation, drinking tea and playing Pai Sho and biding his time for the perfect moment to strike. The people were not afraid, though, for their Fire Lord was competent and just, their Fire Lady was diplomatic and compassionate, and the Princes were both born healthy, ensuring the continuation of a stable monarchy in the Fire Nation.

And, besides, the Blue Spirit and the Red Demon still roamed the streets of the Capital from time to time.

**The End**

* * *

AN: Holy cow, what a ride! A part of me (the evil part?) will miss writing these chapters. I miss the cliff-hangers already! The other part of me, the part that is eyeball-deep in grad school, is relieved to have finally made it through. And now the evil part of me wants to work on that Simple Misunderstanding while that other, practical part of me is facepalming and flailing in equal measure.

Point being, thank you, dearest readers, for making this such a worth-while endeavor. I'm so grateful to everyone who has read and especially to those who have reviewed. This has been an incredible learning experience for me as a writer and I have appreciated every word of praise and criticism I have received. I'm also extra-flattered that even some non-Zutarians took a chance on my story. Thank you! And again, thank you! Stay flaming!


End file.
